Not what they wanted, just Harry
by cersedshadow
Summary: Everyone had their expectations of the Boy-Who-Lived, but since when has Harry ever done as expected. With the Golden Boy in Slytherin and showing some remarkable skills as well as signs of abuse what is our favourite potions master to do?
1. Chapter 1 to 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi, there. This is a different version of one of my other stories already. I may take down the other beginning of the story or not. In my other story I actually had Dumbledore against Harry and as being a manipulative and power hungry basterd.

However I got stuck on this story and was then busy and when I came to thinking about it again I realised this would make the rest of the story hard to continue and would continue to be a road block in my writing. So I have changed the story so that the headmaster's attitude towards Harry is different. He is not personally against harry and although meddlesome is not a power hungry manipulative basterd.

I have him as being weary and unsure about how to treat harry and what to do now that the boy is in Slytherin and not what he expected to be. He may warm to the boy latter or I am not sure at the moment. This should allow me to continue the story, though I don't know how long it will be until I post again as I am busy. The rest of the plot line so far is exactly the same.

Enjoy

**Prologue**

What they wanted was a saviour.

What the public wanted to see was the indestructible Boy-Who-Lived, Gryffindor Golden boy and all round brave hero of the light. What the ministry wanted was a scapegoat. Dumbledore had his own expectation for the boy and the weapon he could become. The Weasley family wanted the money and fame coming from being the adopted loving family of the orphaned boy saviour. What everyone expected was an arrogant Gryffindor kid, with a cocky attitude, loud mouth and exaggerated hero complex. That's what they wanted.

But people don't always get what they want.

Instead what they _got_ was a rather shy, quiet, watchful and reserved eleven year old Slytherin.

Safe to say, all their expectations went downhill from there.

"Harry Potter" Professor McGonagall called. She appeared to be a harsh woman, her greying hair was drawn back in a tight, high bun and her lips were normally pressed into a thin no nonsense line, she did, however, spare a smile for the student that was the owner of that name. She too was sure of her expectations.

Dumbledore too smiled as he heard the calling of his new pupil, he was sure the boy would open up to him and allow him to guide him in the right direction for what was needed. Another person sitting at the head table reacted in his own way to the name of Harry Potter.

Professor Snape scowled, he had been dreading the time that the brat would come to the school and he would be forced to attempt to teach the boy potions and to obey the rules. No doubt the boy was the same as his father, arrogant, loud mouth and bent on making his life agony. A sly smile spread across his face as he thought of all the things he could do to punish the boy and get back at his father for the years of torment he had made him suffer at school. Yes, even after all he had seen, done and learned he too had his expectation.

If anyone of the adults at the table would bother to look with unclouded eyes at the boy in question they would see something they weren't expecting. Harry Potter was not at all acting arrogant, and nor did he seem to be basking in the fame of his namesake.

Instead the small boy, for he was small, smaller than all his eleven year old peers and looked to be no more than around eight years old and not on the verge of adolescents, was standing away from the collection of remaining first years waiting to be sorted and gazing intently down at his feet as he subtly glanced around the hall and gorged everyone's reactions.

The student were all whispering about him so that the great hall sounded more like a wasps nest compared to a gathering place of students.

The boy, still with his head down, shuffled across the stone tiles to the stool placed at the centre front of the room. Again, if anyone were to look they would have realised that his trainers were far too big, practically falling of his feet and in a state of disrepair but people don't see what they don't want too, so again this sign went unnoticed by the hundreds of people watching the boy hop upon the old wooden stall, and have the battered Sorting Hat placed upon his head of untameable raven hair.

'_Ah, I was wondering when I would see you here,' _said the Hat.

'You're…you're talking to me, are you in my head…you're just a hat!'Harry shouted within his mind, to those watching he gave a small surprised jump but remained sitting on the stall.

'_Ha Ha, but I'm a very special hat. You'll find that everything's not as it seems around here young Harry…now what have we got here, hmmm?'_

Glancing up from the floor, Harry could see the expecting faces of all the people around him. The whole hall seemed to be in a state of holding its breath._ '_They're staring at me_.'_

'_Well, yes. You are the Boy-Who-Lived; they are waiting to see what house you'll be in. I have to say it is a difficult decision, you have quite the troublesome mind.'_

That's stupid, thought Harry. Hagrid told him a bit about why he was famous after he got swamped by fans in the Leaky Caldron. As far as Harry could tell he was famous and supposedly all-powerful because of something he couldn't even remember doing.

'Sorry' he said to the Hat.

'_Hmmm, oh don't worry young Harry. Now where to place you? I see you have no preferences.'_

'No, I only knew about the wizarding world two days ago, so…'

What's taking so long? Thought Professor Snape irritably. A few murmurs had broken out among the more impatient students, talking about why the Sorting Hat hadn't decided yet. It never took this long with a student. What was potter doing, giving his life story?

'_Now lets see'_ continued the Hat _'well you don't like the spotlight, that's going to surprise a few, and you're hard working so you could be Hufflepuff. I also detect a thirst for knowledge and understanding with a strong logical mind though, so maybe Ravenclaw. However there's plenty of loyalty and bravery there, so a Gryffindor you could be yet. Slytherin is also in you, with the ambition to prove your self and enough cunning to know people aren't always as they seem. Yes, a very difficult choice. Hmmm?'_

Harry stayed quiet during the Hats ramblings but he wished it would hurry up. None of the other first year students had taken this long and people were beginning to whisper. 'Hurry up!'

'_In a rush are you…in that case it better be…'_

"SLYTHERIN"

The young boy was so desperate to get off the centre stage that he simply hopped of the stall, as he was far to short for his feet to touch the ground, placed the Hat back upon it with a slight polite node and rushed over to his house table. He sat down right on the end of the table with the rest of the first years, but a little away from everyone else. Harry kept his gaze firmly upon the polished wood. It was only after a whole minuet when people were still staring, some in opened mouth shock, that he realised that unlike everyone else he had not received applause.

Harry Potter was certainly not what people were expecting, but then again, you don't always get what you expect

Severus Snape sat slack jawed in shock, not caring if for once people saw his emotions. He wasn't the only one to have their jaw open and lying on the floor. Many of the students as well as a few of the other teachers had similar expressions. Who could blame them though? Harry Potter, Gryffindor Golden boy, was in _Slytherin_. The staring continued and the boy in question just continued to look down at the table as if it held the secrets of the universe. A clearing of the headmaster's throat brought everyone out of his or her daze.

The students began to whisper franticly, speculating as to what this event could mean. Those near the boy continued to stare and many of the Slytherin table were giving him glances out of the corner of their eyes. Professor Snape regained his composer and put his normal disapproving scowl on his features. Professor McGonagall too, composed her self and continued to call the rest of the student's names for sorting. Everyone worked on automatic as they clapped for their new housemates and there was only one more Slytherin first year by the name of Blaise Zabini. He gave Potter a long look before sitting opposite him on the table. The raven-haired boy glanced around the room now and then but kept his head bowed.

_Damn brat! Ashamed to be in Slytherin_, thought Snape. Dumbledore said his normal speech, telling everyone to have a good year and to stay away from the forbidden forest and third floor corridor, before clapping his hands and making the food appear to start the welcoming feast. Severus looked at his fellow colleagues trying to see how they felt about Potter.

McGonagall was looking on with disappointment, her lips pursed. _Probably wanted him to be in her house for the fame._ Hagrid was looking at the boy with something close to pity and Snape scoffed at the idea. _The last thing the arrogant boy needs is a sympathy vote. _Professor Flitwick and Sprout were looking slightly surprised but on the whole seemed to except the idea, as there was nothing they could do about it and they weren't expecting the boy to be in their houses anyway. Dumbledore was frowning and the normal twinkle in his blue eyes wasn't there. He seemed to be disappointed but also suddenly weary when looking at the boy. _Hmmm, guessing having Potter in Slytherin wasn't what he was expecting of the brat. Probably fearing that the boy will go Dark, or sum such rubbish. _Snape himself was close to the headmaster, and the old man was proberbly the only one of his collegues he spoke to regurerly, but he knew that the man was meddlesome to the point of being manipulating. He also knew that the headmaster was only human and despite his claims held the same prejudices against slytherin that most people had, while favouring gryffindors. Having potter, someone he was proberbly hoping to be close to and _guide _towards the light suddenly in the slytherin had thrown his view of the boy off.

Overall everyone-the teachers and students-expectations of the Golden Boy just made a u-turn, for the worse. Harry Potter was not going to have it easy. No doubt many of the students were going to write home about this and then it would get into the papers and the rumour mill would start, resulting in chaos. Those that were related to Death Eaters would be told to watch or hurt the boy and then he would have to defend himself. Others would believe him to be dark and a Death Eater himself, resulting in even more bullying in all forms and more attacks against him. The teachers themselves would abide by their prejudices and too think him dark or beyond hope for being in the house of the Potter wasn't going to get it easy.

Harry Potter was in for Hell.

**Chapter 1 **

The feast finished as normal but the whispers had still not died down. The whole Hall was abuzz about Harry Potter.

Dumbledore rose and signalled the students to do the same, the children from the other three houses scrambled up from the tables to follow their prefects out in unorganized babble. The Slytherins rose with poise and filed out of the hall in groups of two. Normally the Potions Master would have felt as small surge of pride to see his snakes so much more mature than their peers, but that year his thoughts were to full of the last student to leave the hall, Harry Potter. Snape practically flew down to the dungeons, slamming the door to his private quarters closed before pacing the floor in a rage.

Harry Potter was in Slytherin.

Harry Potter was in _Slytherin_.

Harry _Potter_ was in Slytherin.

Harry _Potter_ was in _his house_.

Harry Potter was _his_ to look after.

_Harry Potter_ was _his_.

It was no good. No matter how he emphasized or phrased it the sentence just wouldn't stick. It was like something out an alternate universe. A rather sarcastic, ironic and sadistic universe.

A Potter was in Slytherin, that hadn't happened in…well, _ever_. For it to be James Potters son, the poster boy for Gryffindor just made it all the more unbelievable.

However, the fact still remained that Snape would have to look after the Brat. Snape would be forced to see the boy in more than just potions. Snape would have to stand up for Potter…

…not bloody likely.

The onyx eyed man stared longingly at the drinks cabinet across the room. The firewhiskey was calling to him but he knew he would be denied the pleasure of having any. It wouldn't be good to arrive at his Snakes common room with alcohol on his breath. It would give a bad impression.

There were people out there, some with children that came to Hogwarts and most of who were in his house, who would do anything to either damage him, Dumbledore or Hogwarts. No, he would just have to go without.

This meant he would have to put up with the Potter brat at close range without as well. Snape would just ignore him; Potter would probably be so arrogant anyway he would never bother with his Head of House. If Snape just avoided the brat they may be able to complete the kids' term at Hogwarts with minimum contact. He would only see him at meals, during Potions and detentions, which he would have done anyway.

The only other time would be when he went to his Snakes common room. Even then he didn't _necessarily_ have to see the boy there.

Snape nodded with resolve, he would ignore Potter as best he could and maybe survive the year. Despite his resolution the Potion Master still spent the next five minutes pacing his living room, not wishing to see a reminder of his school boy nemesis.

Realising that all the dawdling wasn't going to stop the inevitable... and that his Snakes would be wondering where he was, the Potions Master spun on his heal, out the door and down the corridor to the common room like the great big bat he was so often referred to.

The door flung open as the head of Slytherin house stormed into the room, his robes billowing behind him, making an intimidating site. Some of the first years nearly screamed and one girl let out a startled squeak. Even some of the upper years jumped.

Onyx eyes scanned the group of first years, piercing them with a glare. Despite his promise to himself, Snape couldn't help staring at a black mop of untidy hair for longer than the other children. Potter was looking at his feet, not meeting his eye.

_Arrogant brat! Probably thinks he's too good to listen to what I have to say._

"You are all…" Snape began, pacing to give the illusion of being everywhere at once and making his robes billow again. "…Slytherin."

Another glare, a few people quietly gulped. Snape saw the platinum blonde hair of Lucious Malfoy's son, Draco. The kid was smirking arrogantly.

_I'll wipe that of his face soon enough. He'll find that being a Malfoy holds no sway with me._

"This means that you are different from the other children at this school. This means that you are the outsiders. Slytherin is a proud, cunning, noble house with ambition and intelligence. _We_ are _survivors_. The others however, do not see this and you will be snubbed by everyone else.

"To combat this you must always stand together and help your fellow class mate no matter who they are. For this reason we have the first rule - **Slytherins are one!** Defying this rule is the worst thing you can do within the house of Slytherin, we protect our own."

Snape took in the first years staring at him in a mixture of fear and awe. Apart from one messy haired brat they were all looking at him with rapt attention. The brat however was still gazing at his feet, shuffling his trainers from side to side, like the worn footwear was more interesting than what the Potions Master had to say. Snape glared at the boy again, putting his utmost loathing into it, willing Potter to look up. He didn't.

Infuriated, Snape snapped at the first years, "Any questions?"

The Malfoy boy had the audacity to put his hand up. "When are Quiddich tryouts sir? My dad says I would make an excellent player and there are spaces in the team."

The Potion Master glared at the platinum blonde, taking his attention off Harry. "Tryouts are next Thursday, on the pitch at four. You may try but first years are not normally allowed on the team."

The blonde smirked, figuring such rules below him. He was a _Malfoy_ after all.

The Potion Master glared again and addressed the rest of the first years. "Any _more_ questions?" his tone made it obvious that there better not be.

Silence.

"Good," Snape said with a sharp nod of his head. "Prefect Flint will tell you the rest of the rules of the school. Schedules will be handed out tomorrow at breakfast so don't even think of lying in, I expect you there by seven. On your schedules will also be appointed study times and study groups. It is advised you follow these appointed times though they are not compulsory." The onyx eyes scanned the small children once again. A brief flash of green eyes caught his attention.

_Ha, finally decided to pay attention Potter!_

"There will be no trouble making in my house. I expect you to behave with decorum and to not embarrass the Slytherin name by getting caught." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper as he stared directly at the massy head of raven hair, "There will be consequences if you do."

Another minute of glaring, making sure the first years were appropriately scared and Snape turned, stalking out of the common room.

It was visibly easier to breath. Many people sighed in relief and the first years relaxed.

"Right! You lot!" the eleven year olds jumped and stood straight as prefect Flint came forward. The fifth year had broad shoulders and a muscular frame. While his sharp eyes made sure you knew not to mess with him,

"Name's Flint. You will call me Prefect Flint. I'm captain of the Quiddich team and also in charge of looking after you lot. I will now tell you the rules as Professor Snape stated. Rule 1…" and so it continued for the next fifteen minutes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was getting nervous standing in the middle of the common room with the other first years. He could tell people were staring at him, even the upper years. Keeping his gaze fixed firmly on his much too big trainers he tried to ignore them.

The door slammed open and the boy almost had a heart attack as his Head of House swept through. Harry was happy that all eyes turned away from him to the professor but wished to have them back suddenly as he felt the burning glare of the Potions Master. Gulping quietly, he kept his head down and didn't look him in the eye. Adults never liked it when you looked them in the eye, especially if it was a freak like him. He knew that. Uncle Vernon had said so.

Harry practically shivered in fear as the professor opened his mouth and in a dangerous, silky voice began to speak. The boy listened with every fibre of his being to what the man was saying, even as his fear increased. Professor Snape kept glaring at him, burning a hole in his head and it scared him.

He heard the Professor ask if there were any questions, Harry thought it was an odd thing to say. You were never supposed to ask questions. Harry knew that. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had told him. Over and over and over again.

He listened as Malfoy…what was his name…_Draco_ speak without being told to first by the professor. Harry stiffened; sure Draco would get a telling of and a slap round the face. When the Head of House began answering his question without harming the blonde Harry realised that Draco must be like his cousin, Dudley. Not a freak like him.

_Of course he isn't, stupid! Why do you think any one would ever be like you? You know these people are above you, they must all be like Dudley. You're the only freak. Everyone's always said so. Again and again and again._

Harry listened as the professor went on about study time. He was saying something about going in groups but Harry knew that no one would want to go with him. He was stupid. Even the teachers at school said so.

He didn't want to be stupid; he just never had time to study or someone to explain things to him. That, and Dudley was always ruining his homework or stealing his books and distracting him in class. It didn't help that he was always so tired from either his chores or receiving a punishment the day before. The nightmares didn't help either.

Harry knew that no one would want a stupid person to study with them, they would get tired of having to explain everything to him. Maybe he could study by himself in the library... if the librarian let him. The school librarian hadn't after Uncle Vernon told her what a trouble maker and dirty boy Harry was. The public librarian had let him stay though, reading the books in the tucked away corner between two shelves until Uncle Vernon had stopped him going. Harry hoped that that the school librarian was like that. Maybe then he would be able to read his books without bothering anyone. Maybe he could even _borrow_ some to read in the common room.

The professors eyes darted over to him again and Harry glanced up quickly to be sure about the Head of House expression.

He was right. Complete and utter loathing.

It was burning the in onyx eyes as Snape glared at him. The professor hated him already. Why? He hadn't done anything?

_Don't be stupid! He probably knows you're a freak. He's probably ashamed and embarrassed about having someone so stupid in his house. _

Everyone was ashamed to be seen with him, he knew he was a burden and that no one would want him. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley had made sure to remind him of that. Had made sure that he knew to be grateful for all they had done for him, feeding and clothing him, despite not wanting to.

_And now professor Snape has to put up with you without wanting to as well! _Thought Harry._ Just try and stay out of his way, out of sight and out of trouble and maybe he won't punish you too much._

Even as he thought of it Harry knew it was hopeless. With the hatred he had seen in his Head of House's eyes he knew Snape would punish him for everything, like the Dursleys had. Like he deserved.

Snape swept out of the room and Harry released a breath he had been holding. The green eyed boy noticed that quite a few people did the same. Harry stood rigidly again as Prefect Flint stepped in front of them and began reading the rules. He listened intensely, determined to not break any of them and get into trouble, even though he knew it was hopeless.

Harry always got in trouble. He deserved to be punished. Uncle Vernon said so.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were staring at him again, and once again Harry was beginning to feel uncomfortable. They were in the first year's dorm room. Prefect Flint had finished giving them the rules with a final order to not embarrass the Slytherin name and obey the First Rule, before sending them off to bed to get a good night sleep and settle in.

So now Harry was walking to his bed, the furthest from the door, where his trunk sat at the end while all eyes followed him.

There were six beds altogether and each of the boys moved to their appointed space. Malfoy, Nott and Crabbe were on one side of the room, while Goyle, Zabini and Harry were opposite them. Harry noted that his bed was next to the boys named Blaise. He hoped that the other, bigger boy wasn't going to be too mean. At least he wasn't staring at him in hatred or suspicion like the other occupants of the room.

Darting glances at them every so often to make sure they weren't coming to harm him, Harry ignored the glares and settled on retrieving his school books and a shirt to sleep in from his trunk. He was glad that the dungeons were so dimly lit or the other boys would have surly seen how battered and worn his clothing was. Harry figured he could try to read a bit of his school books before bed, to make sure he wasn't completely behind in class. Uncle Vernon had locked them in his trunk as soon as he got back from Diagon Ally so he hadn't had a chance to yet.

"Oi, Potter" Nott called from across the room, "just what the hell are you doing here?" The black haired boy didn't answer him and closed his trunk.

"Yeah, what's with being sorted into Slytherin, Pot-head, think you could waltz in here and take over" Draco sneered. Still Harry did not respond and climbed into his bed. "Answer me! I'm a Malfoy" cried the blonde.

"Forget it Draco, Scarface's probably too scared to speak, sulking about being sorted into Slytherin. His parents would hate him, considering they were stupid Gryfindorks. Probably spinning in their graves they are Potter. You think Pot-head would learn that no one wants him if even his parents died to escape him." Nott said while laughing, Draco laughed too which caused Crabbe and Goyle to join in with their mindless devotion to the young Malfoy.

Harry didn't show it but their comments had hurt. It was one of the only things he could hang onto in the dark times. The worst of times, after being locked in his cupboard for days or after a particularly harsh beating, thinking that at least if his parents were alive they would want him. That they would say he was smart and hold him. Would they really be disappointed in him, would they really not want him now that he had been sorted into Slytherin.

The green eyed boy felt something akin to physical pain in his chest at the thought. He couldn't even remember his parents and now they hated him, because he had gone a disappointed them. Just like he disappointed everyone.

Closing the curtains around his bed, Harry let the laughing of the other boys fade into the back ground as he changed from his robe into his tattered t-shirt and crawled under the covers. He had only been here a day and already his head of house and dorm mates hated him. He also got the feeling that the other professors had been expecting something else from him and were also disappointed about where he had been sorted.

He had hoped that he would be able to make a new start, maybe even have a _friend _at Hogwarts. He should have known it wouldn't happen. No one ever wanted to be with him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry woke early with a silent scream, the bed covers scrunched up in his mouth and an accidental silencing charm cast about his bed. Strangely it wasn't the normal nightmare, with the green flash and red eyes, that had woken him but one of Uncle Vernon coming to the school and punishing him, beating him with his hands while his class mates hexed him with their wands.

The young green eyed boy was shivering in fright and knew he wouldn't get back to sleep. Getting up silently he took his robes and toothbrush and headed for the showers. He did not wish for his dorm mates to see his scars. He knew he hid his pale skin and starved complexion well with accidentally applied glamour's -not that he knew that was what they were called- but he couldn't hide the marks on his back, legs and arms. His body was another thing that Harry felt ashamed about, like almost everything else.

Hoping that no one would tell him off, the young boy took the indulgence of using the hot water for five minutes. He was sure someone would punish him for it but the feel of the warm water on his scars and aching muscles was worth it. Finishing quickly by brushing his teeth, using the loo and failing to brush his hair, Harry excited the dorm without waking any of the other boys. Taking some of his school books with him he tip toed down to the common room.

He came up short when he saw that the large room was empty and that the fire was reduced to embers. Squinting while moving to the fire place Harry read the clock above the mantle place and saw that it was only five thirty. Almost two hours until breakfast.

Relaxing into the green arm chair, which seemed to swallow the small boy as it moulded around him, Harry settled down to read. He had failed to read any of his books last night, going to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Now he had the perfect opportunity to make sure he wasn't too behind in class.

An hour later Prefect Flint appeared, took a whole ten minuets to see that there was someone else in the room and then scowled at the firsty.

"Hay, Potter!" Harry jumped with surprise and dropped his _Hogwarts a history _book in surprise.

"P-P-Prefect F-Flint," he stuttered at the disapproving look on the older boy's face. The small boy turned to pick up his book so he wouldn't have to look at the fifth years disapproving gaze.

"Since when have you been down here Potter and whey are you not you in your dorm? Breakfast isn't for another hour if you're thinking you can get there early and stuff yourself."

"N-No Prefect F-Flint. I-I've been here since f-five t-thirty. I h-had a n-n-nightmare."

"Well don't expect any sympathy. Home sickness is common but get over it. You are a _Slytherin_, you can not be seen as weak," Flint scolded sharply.

Harry didn't need the older boy to remind him of that. He had known since he was three that showing weakness just meant people hurt you more. He didn't bother to correct the Prefect about the home sickness though, and just nodded respectfully.

Flint scowled at him for a moment longer, making Harry feel uncomfortable even though he would never show it, before walking off to attend to the rest of his prefect duties. The small boy relaxed and went back to reading.

The common room steadily filled up and Harry left his seat to hide in a corner as more of the other kids arrived, holding his book in one hand and waiting to go to breakfast. He didn't care that his reading would get him a reputation as a book worm. He figured that he was stupid and probably wouldn't understand class, but he could remember things when reading and preferred it.

The others would think the worst of him anyway and if he was lucky they would forget he existed entirely and leave him alone. That didn't happen often though. Dudley had made sure of that.

Sitting at the end of the breakfast table, away from the others and nibbling on a bit of toast while eating one or two spoonfuls of his porridge Harry waited for professor Snape to hand out the schedules so that he could go and get his books before the other boys. To his dismay the professor seemed to really hate him and purposely left him till last, skipping him out to attend the other boys first and even doing the other side of the table before he gave a schedule to Harry.

The boy didn't show his disappointment and accepted the parchment with a polite "thank you, sir" before taking a quick glance at it and leaving to gather his books and leaving his breakfast barley touched.

Snape glared after the arrogant boy, who thought himself to good to sit with his Slytherin year mates and obviously didn't think the food at Hogwarts stood up to his five star standards. The Potion Master had got a little revenge by leaving the boy till last, only leaving him five minuets to get down to the dungeons, grab his books and run all the way back up to get to the transfiguration classroom. To his chagrin the boy had only said 'thank you' before running off in an undignified manner.

_Bloody brat_, thought the onyx eyed man, sweeping out of the hall himself to prepare for his first lesson of the term. Third year Slytherins' and Gryffindors'. _Oh what joy!_

The small boy panted as he ran through the halls, chasing the last of the first year Gryffindors that he was sharing Transfiguration with. He was sure that his other Slytherins would be a ashamed of him arriving after Gryffindors but the professor hadn't given him enough time to get down to the dungeons and get his stuff before coming back to the classroom on time not be late

Slowing down to walk through the door a minute after Harry saw the last Gryffindor, one with violent red hair, disappear through it, the green eyed boy had to suppress a scream and try not to jump as something large and fury came sailing towards him only to turn into a stern lipped professor in long maroon robes less than a foot away from him.

"Mr. Potter, I do not allow tardiness. I presume you have an excuse?" professor McGonagall quipped.

He could have told her about Snape but he knew she wouldn't listen. Adults rarely listened to what you had to say and then they normally only said you were wrong. Shaking his head, not daring to look the animagus in the eye the green eyed boy gave a polite "no, Ma'am."

McGonagall looked at Harry expectantly, obviously still expecting him to try and excuse himself for being late. When nothing was forth coming she huffed, and shook herself much like a cat would.

"I will let you off this time Mr. Potter, seeing as it your first day and easy to get lost. Please go and take your seat." She gestured to the last free seat in the class, near the board, in the corner and away from everyone else. Harry was happy for that, if he was close he might understand if she wrote down any instructions and the position of the desk would mean he wouldn't have to look at anyone.

Running to his seat, almost tripping on his robes, the messy haired boy ignored the snickering of the Gryffindors and the smirks of the Slytherins in favour of trying to make himself comfortable. I was hard to do that in the hard seat, the scars on his back stretched painfully and he was still hurting awfully from Uncle Vernon's '_going away'_ present. The small boy paid no attention to his aching body though and instead concentrated fully on the professor as she began to lecture, pacing up and down the room while she did so.

"Transfiguration is the magic of changing one object to another…"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry smiled secretly to himself as he made his way back down to the common room after the last lesson of the day. They had only had a half day as it was the first day of the new term and the green eyed boy was deliriously happy. He hadn't got in trouble the whole day after he was late for Transfiguration. He had even got some _points _for Slytherin in Herbology as he already knew a lot about plants from taking care of Aunt Petunia's garden. The black haired boy was absurdly proud about that even if his other year mates thought it was lame.

So far each lesson had been interesting even if they hadn't done much practical work and Harry had taken notes on all of the lectures. The teachers were another matter all together though.

Professor McGonagall, who had smiled at him before the sorting, had been in a sour mood all day. It could have been because of anything but Harry got the impression that she was disappointed in him and didn't want to acknowledge his existence. He wouldn't have minded this normally but it did mean that no one stopped the rest of the boys behind him from sending spit balls, and sometimes even _hexes _in his direction.

Even when some of the hexes had drasticly altered his appearance for a short time the professor had simply persed her lips and carried on teaching without telling off the perpotrators. Harry was rather disappointed in this, but he knew not to expect the teachers to be on his side.

Professor Flitwick, who taught Charms, had been nice enough. Harry had sat at the back that lesson to make sure he couldn't be an easy target and none of the other kids had tried anything. The lesson had been interesting and kind of funny. The only let down had been when the tiny professor had gotten excited over his name and fallen of his chair. Professor Flitwick had tried to get him into the lesson as much as possible and kept mentioning his name until he got the message that Harry would rather be invisible and left him alone. The green eyed boy was thankful for that.

Professor Sprout had been an odd woman but was much more interested in his plants than Harry so the lesson had been the best so far. In History the small boy wasn't even sure if the ghost of Professor Binns noticed that anyone was even in the room. Harry got a sneaking suspicion that he always talked about the goblin revolutions in that monotone voice whether or not there were people there to hear him.

It was so good to be at school where there was something intrusting to learn and no Dudley to ruin it. Harry's only regret is that he hadn't managed to ask anyone where the library was yet. He was sure with a bit of exploring he would find it though, and decided to skip lunch to do so.

**Chapter 2**

Walking the hallways when everyone else was at lunch and there was no one around to follow was perhaps not the best idea when you've only been at school for a day and haven't a clue where anything is. This is, however, exactly what Harry had done. He was now, predictably, completely lost.

Taking another left turn the green eyed boy felt a small surge of panic when he found himself at _another_ staircase. Deciding he couldn't get anymore lost the small boy began walking up the first few steps when the stairs decided to change position and he was thrown hard against the banister. Biting his lip to stop from crying out in pain as his bruised and possibly broken ribs were smashed against the dark wood Harry held on with a death grip and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the stair case to stop moving. When it did stop the loss of movement was such a shock that the messy haired boy lost his grip and was sent tumbling quickly down the few stairs he had already climbed. Harry did cry out when his ankle was twisted painfully and several other parts of his body began to throb in even more agony than before. Landing on his back with one last resonating thump he lay there on the carpeted floor catching his breath and waiting for the pain to dull. No one came to help, of course, as there was no one to hear his shaking breaths and strangled sobs this far into the castle.

Eventually Harry did re-catch his breath and with several winces of pain but no more distressed cries slowly got to his feet. He was sure he could feel blood running down his back from where several if his newest wounds had reopened but he knew the red liquid would be hard to see on his black school robes.

Even if someone would have been observant enough to notice, his magic had long ago moulded to his desire to keep his injuries hidden and had placed almost unbreakable glamours around him. Many times in school he had been standing not two feet away from the teachers while bleeding steadily from wounds on his back and even face without anyone noticing. Harry was used to looking after himself.

Taking in his surroundings and seeing he was at another corridor with nothing to distinguish it from any of the others the small boy began walking, not wanting to test his luck on the staircase again. Harry had to limp down the carpet as his ankle was in too much pain to walk on and his footfalls echoed around him. The small boy was surprised to see that further down the corridor instead of portraits hanging on the walls there were several decoratively carved snakes in the stone work. The reptiles moved like the portraits and hissed excitedly in surprise as he passed. The young boy could here as the gossip of someone walking down the corridor quickly spread ahead of him where there appeared to be even more snakes.

Eyes darting to keep an eye on the reptiles as they slithered along the walls, up the ceiling, and through cracks in the bricks the green eyed boy came to stop when he reached a dead end. Gazing around almost desperately, quite sure that lunch in the great hall had finished by now and knowing he should be getting back to his dorm Harry suddenly remembered the snake he had talked to in the zoo, where he had made the glass disappear and his cousin Dudley to fall into the enclosure. Harry had been beaten severely for that when they got back to number 4 privet drive and not given meals for a week while being locked in his cupboard. Only being let out to do his chores, which seemed to increase significantly in number. Forcefully bringing himself out of his memories, the small boy wondered if he might be able to speak to the snakes again like he had last time.

"_Excuse me"_ he hissed to a rather large snake that was curled up at the bottom of the wall and looking at him curiously with several other smaller snakes. The carved reptiles started and all suddenly turn towards him.

"_He speaks!"_ several hissed. A ripple of surprise ran through the carvings and Harry noticed several seeming to slip of hurriedly through gaps in the stone.

"_Err...p-please could you p-perhaps tell me, err...where I am and how to get back to great hall. I-I-I'm a bit lost?"_

"_There hasn't been a new speaker in a long time!"_ hissed the snake excitedly, appearing to not hear Harry's question.

"_Err, umm. It is nice to talk to you, but please could you tell me how to get back to the great hall?"_

"_Master will be so pleased! He will want to meet the young speaker. Fetch the master!"_ the larger snake hissed as it moved to settle on the wall at eye level to the small boy. Some of the smaller snakes hissed that others had gone already and where moving over each other to get a better view of the messy haired boy. Backing away, and giving up on his question being answered, Harry was thinking of turning to go back down the corridor to escape the attention of the ecstatic snakes when a deeper, less reptilian voice called out, echoing across the stone walls.

"_Alright, alright! What could possibly be so interesting that you insistently force me to follow you down here?"_ The voice was low and commanding, with a cultured tone and thick accent. A voice used to getting what it wanted and being given answers but also with the undertone of intelligence that seemed to originate from the old stones of the castle itself.

This observation appeared to be true, for the most part.

Harry stood with his eyes wide and jaw hanging open in both surprise and fascination as another carving appeared on the wall of a tall man walking towards him, growing as he neared the small boy. Blinking once at Harry the man turned to the large snake that he had previously been trying to talk to.

"_Yes, you wanted something. Apparently there has been an interesting occurrence. I fail to see how a scruff__y looking boy is interesting, despite the fact that it is unusual for a student to find their way to this part of the castle and this corridor."_

"_He speaks!"_ raising one elegant eyebrow to show his surprise, the carving of the man turned back to look at the first year. Taking him in and looking the green eyed boy up and down while Harry did the same.

"_Really?"_ drawled the man.

The man was tall, and the fact he was raised a few more inches off the floor in the wall only made him more intimidating. He had an aristocratic face, with a strong, angular jaw, high cheek bones and a sharp nose. Long black hair fell loosely around his face and down to the middle of his back, framing his features all the more. Unlike the snake carvings the man was in colour. Harry didn't know how it worked but it showed that he was dressed in dark green and black robes with silver trimmings. The colour made it easier to see the twin short swords that were almost hidden in the folds of the fabric and the intricate wand holder attached to his wrist.

What was most startling about the figure though, were his eyes. Which were currently looking at him with unmasked curiosity and judgment. Suddenly Harry felt a rush of fear at being found unworthy and lacking by the imposing man but brushed it off quickly, deciding that he couldn't possibly be anything else. He had always been found lacking by everyone else, and they hadn't looked anywhere near as hard to impress as this man. They were a startling shade of green though; his eyes. An unnatural shade of green, too deep to be found in nature. It was with well masked surprised that Harry realised that the man's eyes were almost identical to his own, possibly a few shades darker.

"_What is your name?"_ the carved figure hissed. Harry did jump in surprise at being addressed but quickly stammered out an answer, not realising he was still talking in parsletongue.

"_H-Harry, sir"_

He wasn't sure if the 'sir' was needed for a carving in a wall, but it seemed polite. Besides, even if he was carving he was an adult carving, and adults always had to be treated politely and with respect. Harry always tried to do his best to obey this rule but despite his best attempts he often forgot it and was punished by his uncle.

Surprise shone on the man's face. _"You are a speaker! I haven't seen a new speaker in the castle for many years. Harry, did you say? What is your last name boy?"_

Harry cringed back; he hated being called 'boy'. He answered dutifully though. _"Potter sir. Harry Potter."_

The man made a thoughtful noise as he pondered the name. Trying to see if he could remember it from anywhere.

Harry worried his lip between his teeth. He knew he shouldn't ask questions, but his curiosity was nagging at him. Besides, he really wanted to get back. He didn't know what time it was but he was pretty sure he should be getting to his dorm by now.

"_Err, excuse me sir, but could you tell me what your name is sir?"_

The man pulled himself up with pride and answered Harry's question while looking at the boy down his nose. "_My name, boy, is Salazar Slytherin."_

"_Err__, Slytherin? Like my house name, sir?"_

"_Hmmmm?"_ the figure peered closer at the crest on Harry's school robe, "_ah, I see you are indeed in my great and noble house of Slytherin young one. Yes, I am one of the four founders of Hogwarts; each house takes after one of us. Did you not know this?"_ Harry shook his head; there had been no one to tell him. _"By Merlin! The education of the students is severely lacking. It must be that blasted head master's fault!"_ the small boy shrunk in on himself as the figure shouted sharply. He may only be a carving on the wall but Harry didn't know how far magic could stretch. If the man could speak he might be able to do magic as well, maybe even _hit_ him. "_Well now you know and can be proud to be a member of my most esteemed house," _continued the man, pulling himself up in pride once again.

"_Err, yes sir"_ replied Harry, not sure what to say but thinking that agreeing with Salazar was probably best.

"_E-E__xcuse me again sir, but what d-did you mean by 'speaker' sir? If it's alright to ask?"_

"_I mean your ability to talk to snakes, have you not noticed that we have been speaking__ in parsletongue for the whole time." _

"_We have sir?"_ even as Harry said that he could hear the light difference in the way the words rolled of his tongue, now that he listened for it. _"Oh!"_

"_Yes, oh!"_

"_Umm, sir. May I ask a question sir?"_

"_You seem to have asked plenty already.__ Go on then, out with it."_

"_Err, you couldn't tell me how to get back to the __Slytherin common room in the dungeons could you sir. I should really be getting back, but you see I'm a bit lost sir."_

Salazar rolled his eyes and muttered 'typical' but nodded his head all the same. _"I'll get you back, follow me."_ With that he turned away and began to walk away from Harry, becoming smaller with the distance. The messy haired boy stared at the retreating figure in confusion and wondered if he should ask another question when the wall disappeared.

Well, not disappeared. More like _melted._

One moment the stone was there, as solid looking as only a stone could be, and then the bricks began to fall away into the floor. Like melting ice they liquefied and fell in a smother colour till nothing was left of them to be seen. Beyond lay a passage. A very dark passage, which the small boy could see no more than a foot into.

Harry stood there gapping, mouth hanging open and eyes bulging for the second time that day. He may have done this for another five minutes if a voice hadn't called out.

"_Well come on boy. I said I will __take you back but I can hardly do that if you refuse to follow."_

Jumping from the noise, Harry edged forward, not sure if it was a good idea. The man had answered his questions so far and he seemed honest, but it wouldn't be hard for him to leave Harry all alone in the dark tunnel. On the one hand, he could turn around and go back to the staircase, possibly get lost some more in the castle till he either found a familiar area or someone else to tell him the way. On the other hand, he could follow the carving of Slytherin in to a magic, very dark, tunnel that he didn't know and possibly be left there lost all alone.

He was about to turn back and ask one of the snakes which were still gathered around him when the voice called out again. _"Come on!"_

The voice was one of a person used to having there commands carried out and Harry felt his feet moving forward on their own. Once a few paces into the tunnel the wall closed up behind him and the panic returned. Harry suddenly realised that he was now well and truly trapped. He began looking around desperately; his breathing became quicker and more panicked. The green eyed student wondered if he was going to have his first panic attack when Salazar butted in for the third time.

"_Well cast a light will you. I don't need you tripping every three feet__, and not being able to see makes it devilishly hard to handle corners."_

"_Err, __s-s-sir?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_How e__-exactly would I, err, cast an l-l-light sir?"_

There was an exasperated sigh, _"haven't your teachers taught you anything?"_

"_Err, not really sir. You see it's the f-first day sir. We haven't b-been taught any s-s-spell work yet."_

"_Oh for the love of Merlin! I should have known. Raise you wand and say 'lumos'."_

Harry did as instructed. _"Err, 'lumos'."_ He gave a small jump as the tip of his wand flared into life and cast a light about the smooth walls of the tunnel. Beside him he could see the carving of Salazar looking even more intimidating in the flickering shadows.

"_Right, follow me and I'll get you back to the common room young speaker." _With that he began to move off into the tunnel. Harry ran to catch up, not wanting to lose sight of him, his wand still raised above his head.

The tunnels were strange. Most of Hogwarts had a distinguished stone work and you could pick out every slab of stone used to build the almightily castle. The sides of the tunnels though were entirely smooth and the ceiling curved into an arch. Harry wasn't sure what it was but the magic swirled around him, creating a constant hum as he moved through the very soul of the castle. He didn't know how long he spent down there or _in_ there as it may have been, but eventually Salazar stopped at a dead end.

"_Here we are"_ as if on command the wall melted away exactly as the other one had and revealed the damp corridor of the dungeons. Moving through Harry recognised where he was immediately and breathed a sigh of relief. Not knowing how to put out the light on his wand he was surprised when it disappeared at his thoughts. Turning around he saw Salazar looking at him with his similar green eyes.

"_Err, thank you sir. I'__m very grateful for you help sir." _ He hoped that would be enough; he didn't know how you could pay back a carving in the wall.

Salazar seemed to shake his thanks off though. _"Anytime young speaker. You best get to your common room before your head of house checks in. It is almost time for curfew."_

"_Yes, thank you again sir."_ Though he was slightly confused as how he managed to get to the dungeons from several floors up without taking any stairs, Harry began heading dutifully back to the common room. He could always work it out latter, and if not he could just lay it down to magic.

The common room was crowded when he got in and Harry slipped up to the dorm unnoticed. Finding it empty he took the chance to have a shower so he wouldn't have to have one in the morning and changed his clothes. Pulling the curtain around his bed, Harry was just in time as he heard his dorm mates come in at that moment, grumbling about curfew and their head of house.

Blocking out their presence the messy haired boy succumbed to the excitement of the day and fell into a deep sleep. Nightmares for once not plaguing his mind as carvings of snakes and intelligent green eyes kept them at bay.

**Chapter 3**

The next day started out bad. Harry got up early even without the nightmares and managed to quickly wash his body with cold water before the bathroom door open and he had to get dressed to hide his scars. Luckily it had been Zabini, so there had been no questions asked. His only other good luck was that he didn't run into Flint in the common-room that day and had managed to finish reading his charms book.

Harry's year mates had been insulting him all day, and the newly opened wounds from his fall down the stairs were giving him more pain than normal. He decided to skip lunch to go to the toilet and try to stop the agony in his back whilst cleaning up the blood that was beginning to drip down on to the floor.

Harry was now sitting in Defence Against the Dark Arts, or DADA as the other students called it, with even more pain coursing through his body. He was sitting at the back of the class again to make sure his year mates didn't throw something or hex at him, and also because Professor Quirrel had the worst hygiene ever. His whole room stunk of garlic and incense and the smell got even worse around him. Harry briefly wondered how the people at the front weren't fainting from the over powering odour, but so far everyone had remained standing. Harry doubted he was going to last much longer though.

For reasons he didn't understand, his scar had begun hurting as soon as he entered the class. What had started as nothing more than an itch had soon escalated to a dull throb until it felt like his head was about to crack in two. The pain had spiked when the professor had come near him but that was probably just a coincidence. The messy haired boy wondered if he was really bleeding so much to get a headache from blood loss, but it hadn't looked that bad in the toilet just before class. Maybe one of his wounds had got infected, or he was coming down with something. Whatever was wrong Harry was pretty sure the awful smell wasn't helping.

The ringing of the school bell sounded wonderful, despite the shrill noise almost causing him to faint in pain. Strangely as soon as Harry fled the classroom the pain in his head entirely vanished, just melting away as if it was never there in the first place. Harry was relived but didn't have time to ponder this strange occurrence, deciding it must be all the incense in the room that was casing his headache; he had more important things to focus on now.

It was time for his first potions lesson with his Head of House.

Harry had taken the last work bench, unfortunately near the front, so that he could sit by himself. All the first years were chattering excitedly, the room vibrating with a constant buzz at the noise. However, it became silent when Professor Snape swept in, robes billowing dramatically. He immediately began stalking up and down the aisles and every student knew that he was not a teacher to mess with. Snape didn't wait to start his opening speech.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic." Snape sneered menacingly. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses..." There was a dramatic pause from the Professor before he continued. "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death...if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry was trying not to show it, but he was intimidated by the tall forbidding man. Just his presence felt threatening. Keeping his head down and staring determinedly down at the table (which he now saw had several fascinating stains and scorch marks on it), he prayed that the potions master would ignore him.

"Ah, Mr Potter our new…_celebrity_." The words carried the malice and hatred clearly despite the fact the Potions Master hadn't raised his voice. Underneath the work bench, Harry's hands began to shake.

"Tell me Mr. Potter, where would I find a bezoar?" At the back of the classroom a bushy haired girl raised her hand. Snape ignored her, concentrating entirely on Potter. He could see that the brat didn't know the answer; the frightened glances around the classroom betrayed him. Probably hoping someone would give him the answer because he's the Boy-Who-Lived. _Not in my class_! thought Snape.

"Now, Mr Potter!"

Harry was frightened. He didn't like how close the man was, and the Professor looming was making it hard to concentrate on anything but the rising panic within him. Were teachers allowed to hit students at Hogwarts? They never had at his old school, but Harry supposed that was because they knew he got the beatings he deserved when he got home. The messy haired boy jumped when the Potions Master snapped at him to answer for a second time. Deciding to get an apology as quickly as possible Harry stuttered out a reply, ashamed for his show of weakness.

"S-s-sorry s-sir. I-I d-don't kno-know."

His whole body was beginning to shake when he saw the professor sneer down at him. Tensing his body he tried to stop it from showing. You couldn't show them you were weak or the punishment would only be worse. Harry hadn't needed his uncle to tell him that one; he had figured it out himself.

Snape saw the boy hunch his shoulders in a protective stance and resolutely ignored it. People rarely see anything they don't want to.

"I didn't think so." Another sneer and a malicious glint came into the Potions Masters eyes. "What would I get if I powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Another question! Couldn't the professor ask someone else? Harry was pretty sure that this wasn't even in the text book, or at least not the half that he had read. Behind him the bushy haired girl's hand shot up higher than before, only for Snape to ignore her again.

"I-I d-don't k-know s-sir. S-sorry, s-sir." Harry could hear the snickering of his year mates around him and closed his eyes briefly. This was just like at school back home, except at his old school he usually knew the answer but wasn't allowed to say because that would mean he was better than Dudley. Here though, he was just plain stupid. He was hoping that the teachers would just ignore him and he could get through school without attracting any attention. He should have known it wouldn't have happened. People could always tell that he was different. That he was stupid. A freak.

"No, I'm sure you don't. Just like your farther, always expecting someone to know the answer for you. What's wrong Potter, to magnificent to know a mundane questions about potions." Snape was on a role now, every taunting insult and prank by James Potter and his friends coming to mind. Somewhere, deep, _deep_ within his mind Snape knew that he shouldn't be taking his anger out in a defenceless eleven year old with questions far above his understanding and insults at his deceased family, but it just felt so _good_ to get it out of him once and for all. The boy made it too easy.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane. Answer NOW!"

Harry resisted the urge to jump out of his seat and flee the room. He knew it would do no good but he had never seen anyone near as threatening and scary as Professor Snape. The messy haired boy briefly wondered what he should do, weighing up his options. He didn't normally answer questions even if he knew the answer because of Dudley, but maybe it would be good to do so here, especially if it meant being left alone by Snape. Making up his mind, Harry quickly rushed out the answer, his eyes on the bench the whole time. He didn't want to see the hatred that would still be burning in his Head of House's eyes.

"T-t-th-there the s-same t-thing s-sir. Al-also called a-aconite."

Snape sneered, he hadn't expected the brat to know the answer and now that some of the wind had left his sails he was starting to think he shouldn't have shouted. Especially at the boy in front of the whole class, a boy that had his shoulders hunched, hands clasped, eyes averted and looked so pathetically fragile.

Ignoring that train of thought quickly, as he could not afford the time to analysis it now, he turned back to the rest of the class.

"For yours and Mr Potter's information a bezoar is found in the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons. Powdered root of asphodel and an infusion of wormwood will give you a sleeping potion so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death…and as Mr. Potter said monkshood and wolfsbane are the same thing, also called aconite." It seemed to almost pain the man to admit the last part, but Harry released a shaky breath. Glad Snape had moved on from questioning him. "Well, why aren't you writing this down?" hissed Snape.

The class started scribbling hurriedly. Afterwards the Potions Master had them take out their caldrons and start following the instructions on the board to produce a simple potions base. Prowling the room, Snape took great pleasure in frightening the Gryffindors and taking points while praising his Slytherins highly, despite the fact that their attempts were just as bad. Sneering at Potter as he passed, he noticed that the boy was one of the few to actually prepare his ingredients properly. He glared at the bowed head of messy hair and cursed that there was nothing he could berate him for. Deciding that they had had enough time, the Slytherin Head of House swung back to the front of the classroom.

"Right!" he barked, several people jumped at the sound. "That's enough. Bottle what you have and bring it up to the front. You will find this to be the most lenient I will ever be about your pathetic attempt at making potions, so I suggest some of you magic yourself some talent before I have the unfortunate displeasure to see you next lesson."

The eleven year olds shot frightened glances about the room. If this was the man when he was being _lenient_, then what was he like when he was being _strict_? There were several gulps from the more clumsy people in room.

Harry carefully cleaned his work bench. Putting his left-over ingredients in the magical waste bin, he bottled his potion with care and replaced all the equipment in their rightful places. He waited until last before walking up to deliver his potions base, despite being near the front of the class room. Harry didn't want to get near his Head of House any time soon, and this time he wouldn't have a table to hide his shaking.

Watching as the bushy haired Gryffindor placed her potion on the bench, and ignoring the dark man's glare, he steeled himself and stepped out to do the same. Walking down the middle aisle with his head bowed and glasses slipping off his nose, Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Professor turn around to magic the writing off the board. Picking up his pace so that he could deliver the bottle before the man turned back around, he completely missed seeing the foot in his way.

Harry's feet tripped over the other appendage and he went sailing towards the floor. There was a pause as everyone looked to see what had happened and then the cannon fire sound of shattering glass filled the dungeon. Another pause and Harry could do nothing but stare at the shattered vile and spilled potion in disbelief before shutting his eyes tightly.

Great, he couldn't even do the simple task of handing something in right. He was such a freak.

Laughter filled the room. Both of the houses were laughing at the small Slytherin's misfortune. The red headed Gryffindor that tripped him laughed the loudest, pointing at him as he did so. Harry slowly picked himself up to his hands and knees, just realising what had happened and why he had tripped as he looked at the boy next to him. Returning his gaze to the shattered glass on the floor, he didn't notice that several of the sharp shards had ripped into his hands and were now buried in the skin. Harry instead concentrated fully on blocking out the mocking laughter and to stop himself from trembling. Then another voice joined the noise of the laughter and the insults being thrown across the classroom, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Mr. Potter," purred Professor Snape. Harry raised his eyes slightly to see the black shoes of his Head of House not ten centimetres from his face. "What just happened here?" There was so much malice in the voice that Harry felt the battle against his body fail as he began to shake. He hunched his shoulders to stop it from showing and kept his head down. He could have said that the other boy had tripped him but he knew it wouldn't work. The Professor seemed to hate him so much already that he would probably just give him a worse punishment and say he was lying. The Dursleys had told the teachers at his old school that he was trouble; he had no reason to believe that they hadn't told the teachers here too. They would know that everything was his fault, even if it wasn't. He deserved it anyway. He was a freak.

"I-I-I am s-sorry professor. I-I f-fell."

Severus almost growled at the pathetic apology, did the brat really believe he was going to fall for that. The boy obviously thought it fun to break his equipment as a form of getting back at him for singling him out earlier. I was with the satisfaction of James Potter sharing his son's humiliation that Snape continued to punish the boy. The normally sharp eyed Potions Master missed the small amount of blood staining the floor by his feet where the shards of glass had pierced Harry's hands and were now embedded in the skin.

"Yes, I am sure you are sorry Mr. Potter and you will be even sorrier for lying so disbelievingly at me. Your atrocious actions will be punished severely. Detention with me at seven 'o' clock sharp, don't be late! You will only garner yourself another detention if you are. Now clean up this mess and get out of my site. Class dismissed!"

The students scrambled to get out of the dark Professor's presence. Harry didn't move as those around him stomped passed. He could hear some of his Slytherin dorm mates not so quiet comments on his clumsiness and stupidity while the Gryffindors laughed along at the red heads comment to look where he was going. In the torrent of fleeing eleven year olds one bushy haired Gryffindor ran straight up to the professor.

"Professor Snape, sir." The potions master turned around to glare at her. The intimidating look made her falter for a second before the patented Gryffindor courage kicked in. "It wasn't Potters fault, he was tripped by another Gryffindor and..."

"Enough Ms. Granger! I do not need you making up excuses for the thick headedness and arrogance of some students. As for you..." the Potions Master turned back to the form of the still crouching Harry who was gingerly picking up the glass with his hands. Snape almost told him to get some gloves from the work station, but he was too angry and agitated to let his somewhat good natured conscience through.

Harry heard the Gryffindor girl begin to stand up for him and was amazed, the amazement quickly turned into depression as he realised she was getting berated by his Head of House too. She would definitely not want to be near him now and soon word would spread to the others that he meant trouble. Then he would never make any friends, not that he had much hope of doing so in the beginning. Resigned to his fate, he gently picked up the shattered glass. The bleeding cuts on his hands had disappeared under his glamour so the professor wouldn't see him and tell him off even more for being idiotic and getting himself hurt. It was painful, but he was used to pain.

Hearing the conversation, and feeling the Potions Masters gaze, he looked up startled at the venomous tone. "...don't send someone else to me with your miserable excuses. For getting someone else involved in your mess I will add another hour to your detention. You will now arrive here at six. Don't forget! You may now go Ms. Granger." With his last words spoken Snape turned around to his desk and started shuffling some of the papers, clearly dismissing the two still in the room. Granger, as Harry now knew she was called, sulked out dejectedly. The green eyed boy picked up the last piece of class, placed it in the magical disposal bin and gathered his books quickly before fleeing the room as well.

Harry Potters first Potions lesson with his Head of House had been his worst experience at Hogwarts yet.

Time seemed to crawl for the rest of the day. Harry locked himself in another toilet stall and carefully picked the pieces of glass that he could reach out of his hands. He wondered briefly about finding Salazar Slytherin again but dismissed it; he really didn't want to talk to anyone at the minute. Skipping dinner, Harry once again set off to find the library.

They had passed it on the way to one of their lessons but it still took him a great deal of time to find it again. Madam Pince looked at him suspiciously as he entered, and Harry scampered to the most secluded table. No one else was in the library at that time; all of the other students were down in the hall enjoying dinner. Harry had no appetite after remembering the incident in the Potions class room, peering at the books he found an encyclopedia of magical plants used in simple potions and began reading. His thinking was that if he knew the answers then Snape was less likely to pick on him. He didn't want to repeat the humiliating experience that happened earlier that day.

When five thirty came around, the small Slytherin reluctantly closed the book. A few other people were in the library now, but none had bothered him as his table was far from everyone else's. Harry saw the bushy haired girl sitting at a table of her own with a pile of books and thought for a moment that he should thank her for standing up for him. Shyness and fear of being late to detention stopped him, and instead he exited the room, once again under the suspicious eyes of Madam Pince.

The walk to the dungeons seemed to take an age as the fear once again crept into Harry's veins. What would the professor make him do? Maybe he would punish him like Uncle Vernon. He might even use the belt, or the _cane, _forwhat he had done was bad enough to warrant it. Breaking stuff was unthinkable, but he had gone and broken the professors vile in his first lesson. Maybe the Potions Master would make him test some potions or put something disgusting, like washing up liquid, in his mouth. Aunt Petunia did that often when he had said a bad word or been disrespectful. From the amount of times that it happened, he was disrespectful a lot. Harry's mind came up with a dozen different humiliating and painful punishments that the professor would give him during his detentions, and eventually the green eyed boy was standing outside the heavy wooden door to the Potions classroom for the second time that day.

Gathering his courage, Harry knocked gently twice.

There was no answer. The boy wondered if he had knocked hard enough for the professor to hear when a silken voice could be heard from within.

"Come in Potter." Harry swallowed hard, it didn't sound like his Professor was in a good mood. Even more punishments came to mind and Harry had to grip the worn and tarnished door knob tightly to keep from running away. The door opened silently which seemed to make everything even more ominous. It should have creaked, or squeaked or moaned. It shouldn't have been silent. Harry knew that much from peeping out of his cupboard and seeing the horror movies Dudley watched with his friends during sleepovers. He swallowed once more.

Snape had his head bent over a pile of paper and was scratching his quill across the top one with venom, the bright red ink staining the page of the poor students work. The onyx eyes didn't look up as Harry walked to the front of the class room, and they didn't move from the paper when the boy as standing at his desk before him. '_Let him squirm for a while.'_

Harry didn't squirm, even though he felt like it. He didn't fidget or twitch either, but stood perfectly still. He had learned along time ago that adults didn't like moving or figiting while they were waiting to punish you. It just made them angrier.

Severus, however, was getting angrier though because he wasn't squirming. He had noted the boy's absence from dinner and lunch earlier that day. He was sure that the boy had sneaked off to cause mischief or to the kitchens, thinking himself too good to eat with everyone else. _Stuck up Potter!_

Standing abruptly, Harry looked up in fright but didn't jump. Severus felt a small amount of admiration seep through his rage for the boy's accomplishment, but quickly trampled it with even more rage when he reminded himself this was James Potter's son. Stalking to a door on the side of the room, robes billowing, he opened the door with his wand and pointed inside.

"You will clean all these cauldrons Potter, without magic! You are not to leave until you do. Wear the gloves by the sink and use the other cleaning tools under it. I don't want to hear whining, or snivelling or moaning from you. You understand me, not a squeak!"

Harry nodded his head franticly trying to convey that he understood, while he worked on making his throat work again. It had closed up in fear when the Professor had started shouting. Snape grabbed him by the shoulder and he winced. Harry didn't normally like to be touched and the Potions Master had a grip like a vice. The boy was sure that it would leave another bruise to add to the wide collection that he already had.

Snape practically threw the student into the room. Cleaning cauldrons was one of the worst detentions, especially when it had been the first day of classes for the first years. More cauldrons exploded or melted in the first week of class than any other time. Besides, it meant the boy wasn't in his sight and he didn't have to put up with his presence for the punishment. Snape was definitely happy about that.

The Potions Master was sure though that it wouldn't be long until he heard complaining from the boy. Some of the cauldrons were bigger than he was and with stains that hadn't been shifted for years. Doubtless the boy would get half way through the first one and start complaining that it was too hard. Saint Potter probably never had to lift a finger in his life. He had his fan club and family to do it for him.

When the brat had stumbled through the threshold Snape banged the door closed behind him. Harry stared at the pile of cauldrons in surprise, barley noticing the door slamming shut

Was this his punishment? But this wasn't bad. It was only cleaning and Harry did the cleaning at his home all the time. The Professor had even given him gloves. Deciding not to push his luck with asking the Potions Master if he was sure he had assigned the right punishment, Harry set to work.

In the back corner of the room was a large rectangular sink, big enough to fit the large medium sized cauldrons in but not the biggest. Harry filled the sink with warm water, ignoring the sting of it on his still tender hands as he tested the temperature. Putting on the gloves, finding the cleaning agents and grabbing the best scrubber he quickly found the least dirty looking cauldron of the lot and started to scrub.

The familiar and methodical work soon relaxed him and the small green eyed boy all but forgot about the angry potions master that had assigned him the punishment.

Snape, however, had not forgotten about the boy.

He had sat at his desk pretending to grade the third year essays while counting the time in his head and waiting for Potter to come out and complain. When not a peep was heard for over twenty minutes hen dipped his quill in his favourite red ink and actually started grading. He had decided that the brat was persistent and thick headed like his farther, and was probably trying to do the work and last as long as possible to prove him wrong. Severus lost himself in his marking, waiting for the boy to emerge from within the room and not realising the quick passing of time. When he had finished all the way up to the fifth years papers he decided it was time to check in on the brat. Maybe even scare him a little.

Snape smirked.

Stalking to the door Snape reflected that maybe he should have checked up on the boy earlier. Doubtless he was sitting in the room, waiting for him without a single cauldron cleaned. It was a surprise to the Potions Master then, when he opened the heavy wooden door in silence and was greeted with the sight of Potter leaning into one of the larger cauldrons, by the sink and scrubbing away merrily.

Shifting nearer without making a sound Severus cast his eyes around the poorly lit room suspiciously. First his gave lingered on the smaller of the immaculately cleaned cauldrons, some of them hadn't even looked that sparkling when they were _new_. Even some of the stains he thought of as unmovable were gone, though some did remain. It was with a start that the man discovered that it wasn't only the smallest of the cauldrons that were cleaned, but many of the others too. He had left a stupidly large number of dirty cauldrons in the classroom waiting for the students that he would assign to clean them. It was with some irritation that Snape realised that because of Potter he would have to find another punishment. Most of them were clean...actually, all but the one the small boy was slaving away at now were mostly clean.

The boy had to have used magic. Potter, perfect Potter, who didn't know how to lift a finger couldn't have cleaned all of this.

Stalking closer, fully prepared to snap at the boy for his disrespect of his instructions stopped when her heard a small sound. Was the brat...humming?

Yes, he was indeed humming, a made up and seemingly random tune that changed every few seconds. The boy was so lost in his cleaning and the satisfaction of being on the last cauldron that he was oblivious to his professor until a sharp clearing of a throat made him jump. Whirling around, the boy stared at the looming man with wide eyes.

"P-P-Professor, I-I'm almost done s-sir. J-just this one t-to finish, sir"

"I can see that Mr. Potter please tell me just what exactly you are doing."

"C-Cleaning sir. Like y-you told me to sir." Snape cast one more look around the room, noticing the absolutely filthy water still in the sink. You wouldn't get that with a cleaning charm. His eyes widened slightly, though Harry didn't notice. Had Potter really cleaned all of the cauldrons by hand?

"Well you may desist your activities now. I trust you have learned your lesson to never disrespect me and break school property again. It is time that you get back to your dorm." With a small amount of surprise, Snape realised it really was time for the boy to be getting back. In fact it was well after the time the brat should have been back. Almost midnight. "Clean up and get going. Don't mill about and go straight to bed, understand?"

"Yes, sir," replied Harry as he began to finish rinsing out the cauldron, draining the sink and packing away the rest of his cleaning tools. Despite not finding the punishment that bad, he was glad it was over. He was good at cleaning, had to be at his relatives house but he had never done quite so _much_ cleaning. His thin arms were shaking with weariness and he could feel the exhausted muscles straining all over his body. The messy haired boy was having trouble stopping his eyes from dropping closed as he left the classroom under the smouldering gaze of his Head of House.

Walking into the common room, he found it empty, everyone else long since retired to bed. Slipping into his dorm room without waking the other sleeping boys, Harry closed the curtains around him and changed into his night clothes. Then gathering the large and warm bed sheet around him, he did what he had done every night since he got there. Slipping off and under his bed, the small Slytherin fell asleep almost instantly in his sanctuary of sheets and bed planks.

**Chapter 4**

When Harry awoke he knew there was something wrong. The sound of his dorm mates breathing wasn't to be heard. Goyle and Crabb normally snored like a snorting bull and the others all breathed heavily in their sleep but this morning there weren't any sounds coming from the other beds in the room. Carefully getting up from under the bed and placing the comforter back on the mattress, Harry began to wonder where everyone was.

Walking down to the common room and peaking around the wall, he saw that the green and silver room was almost empty and none of his dorm mates were in site. Looking at the clock on the wall, Harry understood why. It was way past the time most Slytherins went down to breakfast. The green eyed boy was astonished, he had over slept! He never over slept! Over sleeping meant he would be punished. Harry began to wonder what his head of house would do when he found out and prayed, even though he knew it was hopeless, that they would go easy on him as it was his first time and just restrict his food instead of beating or thrashing him.

The black haired youth wondered about running to the great hall and hoping that no one would notice but his stomach was so worked up with worry over his punishment that it began to rebel at the thought of food.

It would be at least another fifteen minutes till breakfast was over and Harry decided to take a shower and read to calm his nerves. He hoped that it would look like he had meant to skip the meal to do some studying, though he knew it wouldn't work as the other boys in his dorm would just tell professor Snape that he over slept. Still, there was a chance that they hadn't yet and it was the only hope Harry had of lessening his punishment.

Running up the stairs, his footfalls quietened by the soft carpet, Harry took a shower, making sure not to use any of the hot water in case he got into even _more_ trouble, dressed as smartly as possible and sat down on his bed with his transfiguration book, preparing to read. He never got a chance, as at that moment more than a hundred owls poured through the dormitory door and started heading at high speed straight towards him.

XXXXX

Severus was seething from his seat on the end of the teachers table. The brat wasn't there again. How dare Potter keep missing meals! The arrogant runt probably though he was to good to eat with everyone else, or that the food wasn't up to his celebrity status.

Severus had to admit he was surprised the other day when Potter had appeared to have really studied for his class and could answer his questions correctly. Once he was in his quarters however he had decided that Potter was probably just trying to show off on the first day and would soon show a decreased amount of concentration and care for his studies, especially potions once he had gathered enough admiring fans to follow him around and do his homework for him.

That still didn't mean he could miss meals and expect to get away with it. He would have words with the boy and show him exactly who was in charge, and who exactly had responsibility for his next seven years at Hogwarts. Though he dreaded that thought.

Severus was just getting into another good internal rant about all that was wrong with the world when the most owls he had ever seen poured into the Great Hall in a seemingly never ending stream. A few of the first years, especially the muggleborns, screamed and a few of the other students appeared nervous as many of the large birds circled the hall without landing. From his position, Severus could see that many of the searching owls had smoking red envelopes clutched in their talons. The birds started to swoop down onto the different tables, evidently still searching for the recipient of the letters, turning over food trays and scaring many of the students at the same time.

Some of the teachers had stood, including Severus, and were just about to try and deal with the problem of the owls when it got worse. Every single still in flight bird turned to the open door way of the great hall and flew through it, turning deliberately down one of corridors and heading deeper into the castle. The Hall cleared in seconds and left much confusion and chaos in its place.

Severus glanced at the other concerned members of the faculty before looking to Dumbledore for an explanation of what just happened.

"It appears that the student they are meant to deliver to isn't in the hall. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. You may all check on your students after this has been cleared up and breakfast is properly over. I believe it would be best if we all stayed to calm the remaining students, don't you think?" the old man said lightly. Some of the professors looked like they would protest about not being able to check on their students' they too had seen the devastating amount of howlers that the birds held but one look from those twinkling blue eyes kept them seated.

Severus was on the edge of his seat for the rest of the meal and barely ate anything that was on his plate, not tasting the perfectly done eggs or French toast he had served himself. Instead he was trying to think if one of his students had warranted such a display and itching to see to them. Severus Snape was fiercely protective of his Slytherins. Someone had to be if they were to survive the school with all its prejudice.

XXXXXX

Harry screamed and ducked his head, throwing his hands over his face in am effort to protect it from the talons of the large and growing number of owls. Many owls screeched as they dropped the smoking red envelopes all over him, batting others with plain white envelopes out of the way in their haste to exit.

The last owl dropped it's envelope on Harry's head and exited the dungeons as quickly as it came a few minuets later. Green eyes slowly opened, fear evident in their depths, to look at the empty room.

The messy haired boy was practically swimming in letters, spilling over the bed onto the floor. There wasn't an inch of the green comforter visible and his lap was piled high with all the letters. Harry's frightened, ragged breathing was the only sound in the silent room for a long moment. Ever so slowly Harry reached for one of the envelopes that were smoking on his lap. Feeling the odd heat being emitted from it he turned it over and hesitantly broke the seal.

Then the red envelope exploded.

This seemed to set of every other howler surrounding him as they all exploded in a cacophony of noise.

Harry screamed once again as the crimson parchments lifted of his lap and the floor to hover around him and the paper form into sharp toothed mouths. They were all screaming loud profanities and harsh words at him. Things that no eleven years old should ever have to hear, let alone be told to his face streamed out of the red mouths. Their dark maroon ribbon tongues spit at him as he cringed in fright.

Luckily Harry couldn't understand a word any of the envelopes were saying as they were all talking over one another and the noise was deafening.

Harry's hands came up to cover his ears as he curled himself into the smallest ball possible against the head board and prayed for the horrible screaming envelopes to stop. Eventually the envelopes did run out of angry words to recite and the last one tore itself apart into small pieces, its remains fluttering to the floor even as the last of its words echoed around the room. However, it was a long eventually.

Harry sat, curled up paralysed on the bed and shaking slightly. His head was pressed to his knobbly knees and his hands were clamped so firmly on his ears that they hurt. Untameable black hair hung forward to cover unseeing green eyes as the boy fought against the fear that had flooded his being.

Harry could hear the rushing of his blood in his ears, the aching and rubbing of his teeth as they clenched against each other and the erratic beating of his heart as he resisted the instinct to just run. Run and not come back for anything. To flee as fast as possible from the horrid, echoing words of the crimson envelopes.

Instead unseeing eyes continued to stare at his knees and the remaining white envelopes around him. The boy reached out with his right hand, almost in a trance, and picked up the nearest creamy letter. Breaking the seal gently, as he had done before, he let out a little relieved sigh when the envelope didn't morph into another mouth and begin shouting.

Instead all that was within the parchment was words. Words written in black ink scribbled in rapid angry strokes. The boy continued to sit, still curled up with his knees pressed to his chest and his eyes deep with fear and pain as he read the cursive script.

_You disgust me! I spit on the name of harry potter! You blood thirsty murder, you traitor, you Slytherin! _

_Leading along the country like that, letting us have hope when you yourself are working to become another dark lord. Were you planning to lead us on you black hearted monster! If Dumbledore has any sense he would hand you over the Azkaban and the dementors now, or kill you._

_The world would be better with you dead you pathetic worm. You should leave the wizerding world to stop your dark taint from affecting decent people. _

_You should die!_

Putting the carefully unfolded letter down by his feet Harry reached over and picked up the next one.

_You evil fucking freak…_

Harry placed the last creamy letter down on the pile by his feet. The boy sat curled up by his headboard, the letters in front of him, staring into space for a long moment. Slowly the bright green eyes filled with shimmering tears and the boy's lower lip began to tremble. In a fumble of activity Harry uncurled his thin frame and launched himself off the bed heading towards the dormitory doors. His arm came up to cover his eyes and wasn't removed despite the pain coming from his glasses which were being pressed harshly onto his nose. Trying desperately to stop the tears from flowing and the wails building up in his throat from escaping, Harry flew down the stairs and out to common room.

Harry kept running, away from the harsh, disappointed gazes of his teachers, away from the bellowing red envelopes and the hate filled white parchment on his bed. Harry kept running, for once wishing he was back with his relatives and in his cupboard. He knew what to expect with his relatives, he knew he would be safe in his cupboard. Harry wished he hadn't let himself hope, hadn't let himself believe that Hogwarts and the wizarding world would want him anymore than Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did.

Harry kept running, his feet carrying him past all the classrooms and through all of the abandoned corridors until he found himself running instead through the stacks of books in the library and hiding between the numerous shelves and piles of books in one of the darkest corners, well away from anyone else who may have entered the large room. Sitting down and curling up on himself in a dusty, moth eaten armchair, the green eyed boy finally allowed himself to cry.

His tears fell fast down his cheeks and onto his knees beneath him and his thin frame shook with sobs that threatened to break the small boy. His cries were not loud as he had been trained for ten years to be quiet but they were no less heart breaking to anyone who heard them.

But no one was there to hear them.

So Harry cried alone.

XXXXX

Severus Snape would not admit that he was worried. He would not admit he was walking slightly faster than normal to the common room after breakfast, and he definitely wouldn't admit that the person he was concerned about was Harry Potter. Just because he wouldn't admit it didn't mean he was almost running through the corridors to check on the boy.

Entering the common room he found it empty, as it should be considering first class started ten minutes ago. Damn Dumbledore for making him wait for every last student to leave the great hall before he could leave the head table. Severus was just thankful that he had a free period first thing that morning. Looking at the common room, he could see many brown and tawny feathers littering the floor and stairs up to the boy's dormitory. So his suspicions were correct and the numerous amounts of howlers had been addressed to one of his Slytherins, or more specifically one small messy haired, green eyed Slytherin that should hopefully still be in his dormitory.

Taking the stairs two at a time with his long legs the dark eyed professor flew into the first year's boys dormitory. It only took one look to realise that Potter wasn't in the room and another to see the remains of the shredded howlers littering the floor around the last bed.

Taking more measured steps, he slowly moved towards the bed, a sneer firmly on his face as he kicked away the red confetti. On the bed was a pile of creamy white parchment, out of place in the litter that was covering the rest of the comforter. Picking up the top letter off the pile Severus read it carefully, his expression darkening with rage and making a frightening sight.

How dare they do this to one of his Slytherins? No one harmed what was his…even if it was Potter. In a second Severus's wand was out of his sleeve and in his hand, making intricate wand movements in the air while he recited an obscure spell.

"Exsisto ostendo sum memoria"

The spell was not well known and only worked in highly magical environments but it had been useful in his spying days to show him what had happened in some of the dark lords meetings without actually having to put his life endanger. As he watched the mist lift up from the walls and the ceiling and the floor he never imagined he would be using the hard to learn spell to find out what had happened to James Potters brat, but he was and right now he was watching the scan of the last half an hour play out.

The mist shifted into a window before becoming an image of the room in front of him. Onyx eyes watched as Potter entered the room and closed the doors to the showers, he deduced that this was just before the owls arrived in the great hall. A few minutes later, not nearly enough time to enjoy a private shower, Potter emerged, fully dressed in school uniform, his glasses askew and his hair still damp.

The professor was slightly surprised to see Potter sit on his bed and settle down contently to read a school book instead of some Quidditch magazine when the owls came bursting into the room. Severus watched without a word as Potter curled up in terror and got rained in letters. A scowl emerged on his face and he had to cover his ears as Potter opened one of the howlers and the rest exploded around the small boy. He would be lucky if Potter wasn't deaf after that. His anger returned full force as he finished watching the small boy read all of the hand written hate letters, a blank expression on his face before placing them all in a neat pile one by one. Severus's face was positively murderous as the scene of the green eyed boy running out of the room with tears in his eyes finished playing out.

Cancelling the spell, he took a good few minutes to make sure he wouldn't destroy anything and gather control of his magic that was now swirling around him dangerously in response to his rage.

Albus let those letters enter the school. He could have stopped them. He _should_ have stopped them. He let one of my students suffer abuse because he was in Slytherin. Snape was sure that if the owls would have been heading to one of his precious Gryffindors he would have had all the letters burnt before they got there. Even if it was a student from another house he probably would have prevented the hurricane of letters that had swarmed the room, but because Potter was Slytherin he had to suffer the prejudices of most of the wizerding world with the blessing of one old man.

He had been a spy for Albus and his precious order from almost the day after he was marked. He had done the man countless favours for protecting him and to help take down the mad man he had been stupid enough to allow to mark him, trying to atone for his sins and stupidity. The headmaster had forced him into more and more dangerous situations and he had not issued one complaint. Now Albus had allowed pain to be inflicted to one of _his _students…that crossed the line.

The potions master decided to try and find the distressed boy as he was sure that seeing his hostile Head of House now would offer him no comfort, besides going after the headmaster appealed to his anger more. Storming out of the dormitory and common room, Severus stalked through the halls towards the headmaster's office, his dark expression sending any straying students running in the other direction and praying for a merciful death.

The golden gargoyle came into view and the onyx eyed man venomously bit out "ice mice" before using his long legs to ascend the stairs, not waiting for them to start revolving.

Sending a quick containment charm to the top stair and above the door frame to stop Albus using his spying spells and know he was coming, the potions master set on his best death glare and sneer and was about to fling open the ornate door when the screaming of a shrill voice from within stopped him. Casting a spell to make the voice louder, the head of Slytherin house began to listen in.

"I'm telling you Albus, I will not do it! He can't come to the house! I will not allow a dark wizard into my home. Think of what influence he would be to the children." The voice was most definitely female and Severus could have sworn he had heard it before, but with the door masking any accent he couldn't place it.

"I'm not asking you to let him into your home." That was the headmaster. He sounded calm and tired but Severus knew him to well and could pick up on the slight hint of exasperation and anger that he was trying to hide.

"Good, because I wont have it. He could murder us in the night, or infest our home with dark magic. You can't trust the Slytherin! I won't have him in my home and I wont have Ron near him!" the woman was getting louder and more hysterical by the minute.

"Please Molly, I am not forcing your family to take him. I only thought in the beginning it would be good to have a home in the wizerding world considering the pressure upon him and the trauma of finding t out the true reason for his parents death." Severus held his breath, they were talking about Harry. The potions master refused to look too closely into just when Potter became Harry, there were more important things to think about. "I must have made a mistake somewhere for him to have wondered of the path of light so much to be placed within Slytherin. With the influence they are sure to inflict on him I am not sure of there will be a chance to guide him back to the right path and fear he will be beyond redemption. I will not be forcing your family to take in someone you do not wish too. I would not put your children in danger like that. However, I can nt remove him from the school because of his house as you well know, so I am afraid he will have some contact with the children you already have here."

"I don't care about that Albus; I just want him away from my family. We will not pretend to befriend and house a Slytherin Potter no matter how much you pay us. Imagine being associated with a Slytherin, it would ruin the Weasly's good reputation!"

Ah, so it was the Weasley clan matriarch that Dumbledore was talking to. He should have guessed from her screaming voice, he had heard it in howlers to the twins often enough. How low could they get, accepting money to care for an orphaned child and lead an innocent boy's life astray? The Weasley's may have been a family of the light, but they were far from good, and how dare the woman assume being dark is just a Slytherin trait.

"You don't have to associate with the boy Molly; I am not going to pay you to do so. Now would you please leave, I have many duties to fulfill and you are wasting my time!" snapped the headmaster, obviously loosing patience with the woman, the recent events must be getting to his nerves.

"…b-b-but what about the money you promised us?" Deciding he had heard enough of the woman's shrill complaining and that his anger couldn't wait anymore, the potion master burst into the room without waiting for Albus to give an answer.

Two head immodestly whipped around to face the banging door, one with violently red, bushy hair and another with a long beard draping from it. Severus was glad to see the shocked look on both the Weasley woman and the headmaster.

"Severus, what do you think you are doing? I am bus…"

"No headmaster" Severus cut the old wizard off. "What do you think you are doing allowing all of those howlers and hate mail into the school to find Potter. I know you have wards to restrict howlers until they are looked over. Why did you let them in?"

"Well Severus, I am surprised. I didn't think you would care for the son of James Potter."

The anger in Severus deepened, how dare the headmaster bring that despicable name into the conversation. The headmaster was trying to steer him away from the topic of the conversation, but it wasn't going to work. The glare on the darks haired man faced intensified.

"He is also a Slytherin headmaster," Severus pronounced slowly, as if talking to a rather stupid child. _And by Merlin if it the last thing I do I will protect Harry…any of my Slytherins from you and the dark lord. _Severus vowed silently within the confines of his mind while trying to make the headmaster instantaneously combust with his glare.

Taking one last glance at the old wizard and the red haired matriarch, the later of which flinched under his harsh gaze, Severus swept out of the office, as dramatically as he came in. Stalking down the stairs, Severus took one deep breath at the bottom of the staircase.

"BIPPY!" Severus's personal house-elf appeared instantly with a small pop. The large eyes wider with fear at the rage he heard in his master's voice. The young master, as the old elf thought of Severus, had always been good and polite to him, unlike his father, but that didn't stop Bippy from wondering if he was going to receive his first punishment from the black haired man. Severus turned his gaze down onto the elf. The poor creature trembled.

"What can Bippy do for young-master-potions-master Snape, sir." The small elf squeaked, while ringing his hands in nervous fear.

"Bippy, a student in my house and under my care is getting bad letters. I want you to monitor the mail everyday and send any letters of his down to my office. If they are howlers then banish them straight away."

The small creature hopped from foot to foot, tears coming to his eyes at the harsh glare he was still receiving from his master. After a moment of silence, the elf spook up.

"B-but Master Dumbledore sees over the students." Bippy wailed.

Snape growled in frustration before reining in his anger. He didn't want to cause harm to the elf. "I don't care Bippy. The student is in my ouse and headmaster has allowed dangerous mail that could have harmed him to be delivered. He no longer has any say in the matter. As the students head of house, I am fully allowed to do this for the students safety and headmaster can't do anything about it. Will you collect the mail Bippy?"

The green head nodded eagerly, green ears flapping. "Bippy will get mail. What student name?"

"Harry Potter"

"Bippy will not disappoint master. Bippy protect Harry Potter and get mail. Bippy will do." With that the elf popped away.

Swallowing the last of his anger and putting his raging emotions firmly behind his occlumancy shields, Severus stalked off to get ready for his first lesson of the day, hoping that Harry would be alright wherever he was in the castle. XXXXXX

Harry was curled up in the large chair in the corner of the library. His sobs had long since stopped but he hadn't raised his head from where it was cradled in his arms. Now that the hurt from the words had diminished, Harry had started thinking about what the words actually said. 'Blood thirsty', 'Murderer' and 'Dark Lord' were repeated often and now Harry was worried. Could he really be a dark lord? Were his relative right and he was evil? Did his evilness really corrupt others just by being near them? The Dursleys must have been right to try and beat it out of him, they were just trying to protect everyone else without fully killing him.

Then one thought struck Harry like a hammer blow.

Would he have to leave the school? Would he have to go back?

…but it would be good if he went back, his relatives could finish keeping the evil in him from hurting everyone else and he wouldn't damage anyone in the wizarding world and…

"What are you doing?" the cultured drawl shocked the messy haired boy so much that he sprang from the chair and on to the floor to get away from it. Turning wide frightened green eyes on the person, he was able to catch his breath again upon seeing who it was.

Salazar looked back with slight amusement and quite a bit of concern. "My, you are a jumpy one. What has frightened you so, and why are you hear when I am sure you are meant to be in class?" The founder's voice was softer than it had been the last time they had met, trying not to frighten the already terrified boy.

Slowly Harry walked back towards the chair and curled up in it like before. Only this time he was facing the wall to his right hand side where the carved man had appeared. Harry distractedly noticed that a few of the carved snakes were also slipping along the walls but his main attention was on the man in front of him.

"You have been crying." It was not a question.

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly tried to wipe away the evidence of his tears. Crying and snivelling weren't allowed, and was a sign of weakness. Uncle Vernon would have slapped him good if Harry had been caught crying. Hopefully Salazar wasn't capable of that.

"You won't tell any one will you?" he blurted out in his fear.

The founder was surprised b the fear and desperation of the question but nodded any way. "Of course not, why would I? You must have had a good reason for crying young Harry, would you tell me what it is that caused you such strife?"

The small boy puzzled for a second, not used to the large words. The man sighed. "Will you tell me what made you cry?" he clarified.

"Oh…um" Harry hesitated; wondering if Salazar would think him stupid for getting upset over some letters. "I-I got some letters from people…they weren't nice…and the red ones exploded and shouted and they were really loud…the others kept calling me a murder, and filthy, and horrible, and they said that I corrupted people, and I was bloodthirsty and…and…and that I'm a dark lord." The small boy whispered the last accusation against him, almost afraid to voice it.

Salazar had been getting steadily angrier and amused as the rant went on. Angry that people could possible put an eleven year old through that and say it so carelessly just because he was in his house, and amused that they could really believe Harry of being any of those things. When Harry said that they called him a dark lord the founder snorted out loud.

"Preposterous!"

Harry jumped slightly, doubt shining from his green eyes. "B-bu-but what if I really am a dark lord, what if I really become one?" he cried, terrified of the prospect.

Salazar snorted again, "You couldn't possibly be a dark lord child. You're far too shy and far too emotional to be a dark lord. You shouldn't believe the nonsense sprouted by the public. If you did then you would be rather dizzy with the amount of times they change their minds. Listen to me young speaker, not the public and moronic imbeciles that don't have two brain cells between them. You'd be doing yourself a favour if you just ignored them."

The messy haired child wanted to believe the carved man, he sounded so sure…but he was an adult, and adults change their minds all the time, and those letters had been horrid and there had been _so many_ of them!

"If I was a dark lord though, or if I should become one…shouldn't I, you know, die. That way I definitely wouldn't be able to harm anyone in the future. Some of the letters said I should have died ages ago, and my relatives say it all the time so wouldn't it be better if I did, die I mean."

There was no amusement filling the founder of Slytherin house now, only anger at the cruelty to the child in front of him.

"You listen here speaker!" he barked. Harry sat up straight to attention and turned wide eyes on him. "You should _not _die! You shouldn't even think about dieing, and anyone who says you should is wrong and should be hexed. Not even if you could become a dark lord," the founder said when he saw Harry opening his mouth to protest, "which you won't, because there is always a chance that you _won't_ become a dark lord. Now, you are in a library. Find a book, read it, learn something and forget all about those letters."

The messy black hair bounced erratically as Harry nodded and the small boy unfolded himself from the chair to disappear among the dusty shelves of the library. Salazar was probably right, he didn't _think_ he was a dark lord, or murderous and he never thought he had ever felt blood thirsty. Besides Salazar seemed so _sure_ and he was the most intimidating adult-well, stone carving of an adult- that Harry knew…apart from maybe Professor Snape and Uncle Vernon.

Salazar stayed where he was, letting the last of his anger drain away. He had only known Harry a few days and already he was attached to him. Feeling protective of the boy already…he was getting soft in his old age. That didn't mean he couldn't help though. Maybe he would teach the young speaker a few spells, maybe even show him the spells that could only be performed in parcel tongue.

The messy haired boy turned the shelf and came scurrying back, a huge tome being hefted in his thin arms. Curling up once again, and glancing to make sure Salazar hadn't abandoned him, Harry started to read, a small smile upon his face.

Yes, maybe he would teach the boy some parcel magic, but not right now. When he was older and more secure, for now the only thing Salazar could do was watch over him and try to keep him out of harms way. So that's what he did.

XXXX

A long time past in the library with the ancient founder watching over the small child, the sun had begun it's decent in the sky and the small corner was growing dark quickly. Worrying over the lack of reading light and the long time the Harry had gone between meals Salazar decided it was time to get Harry to leave the library.

"Young speaker" he asked in a low voice, not wishing to alert the librarian to his presence. Green eyes swivelled around to gaze up at him expectantly. "It is getting late and you still have not eaten. You should go down to the feast and get some food, Merlin knows you need it."

Harry seemed disappointed at the prospect of leaving his book but he wasn't going to disappoint the founder of Slytherin and he was getting quite hungry, though he knew from personal experience at his relatives house that he could go a lot longer before he really needed to eat. That didn't stop the feast from sounding very appealing to his empty stomach.

Putting the book back on his shelf with sadness Harry was going to leave it there before Salazar spoke up once again. "Take it with you Harry, it will give you something to do in the common room and it is always good to further your studies outside your normal text books."

"Umm…do you think they would let me? The librarian at my old school thought I would get the books dirty and tear them so she never let me borrow any and stopped me from coming to the library. I don't want to accidentally damage it and have to stop coming."

"Nonsense, I know you will take good care of the book and keep it safe" the man narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. "You will, wont you young speaker?"

Harry's eyes widened at the low tone of voice and nodded his head quickly in response. Slowly taking the book of the shelf, worried Salazar would tell him it was all a lie and of course a freak like him shouldn't be allowed near books. Harry walked around the bookshelf and hesitantly stepped towards the front desk.

"Err…e-excuse me" Harry said meekly.

Mrs. Prince whipped her head around in surprise at the small voice and glared like she did normally at the student who dared to talk in her library. Age had not be kind to her features and she had a rather waspish appearance about her, reminding Harry of the time there had been a nest of the insects on the school ground and his cousin had cruelly decided to push him into the home of the irritant creatures, his skin had been swollen and soar for weeks.

Cowering back slight Harry gathered up all the courage he could muster in the face of the painful memory and spoke out in the loudest and strongest voice he could. It wasn't much of an improvement.

"I-I would l-like to take t-this b-b-book out."

Mrs. Prince glared at him again before snatching the book from Harry's hands. His heart sank; he knew others would see him for the freak he was. Now he probably wouldn't be allowed in the library again. If he didn't read the books then he would get behind the other students even more and become even stupider than he was already. What if he was so bad that they chucked him out of the school? What if they told his family? They would kill him.

Before the smalls boys thoughts could spiral even further into despair the large tome, almost as big and defiantly as heavy as him was place once again in his arms. Surprised green eyes looked up at the stern librarian.

"Return or renew it in two weeks or you will be punished." Mrs. Prince didn't seem to be interested in Harry after that and turned around to go back to her cataloguing of the books. The small boy stood still in wonderment for a moment before fleeing the library, just in case the librarian changed her mind. Going to the great hall and sitting down in his customary place at the very end of the table Harry allowed himself a small smile of happiness.

XXXXX

Severus Snape watched the door expectantly. From talking to the other teachers he had found out that Harry hadn't turned up for any of his classes and he was getting worried that the boy had hurt himself in the large castle.

Severus worries were unfounded though as at that moment the messy haired child entered the hall and slipped onto the end of the Slytherin table. In his hands was a very large book that looked far too heavy for someone as small as Harry to be carrying. The boy was gripping the tome to his chest like a precious treasure, instead of a dusty old encyclopaedia. What caught Severus's attention the most was that the boy was smiling.

The head of Slytherin house let out an almost unnoticeable sigh. He may have vowed to protect Harry the best he could from the prejudices against Slytherin's but he had very little interest in comforting the boy, mainly because he would have no idea how to go about doing it. His talents laid in disciplining and terrorising students into behaving, not providing a shoulder to cry on for first years. It seemed that Harry had managed to get over the howlers and wouldn't be in need of help.

However, throughout the feast the onyx eyes narrowed in annoyance. Harry was barley eating _anything_. The boy had served himself a small amount of the cold vegetable soup that the other student weren't interested in, not even a cup full and the smallest end of the crusty bread that had been made to go with it. The boy had maybe eaten half of his serving, not enough to feed a small kitten let alone a growing eleven year old boy, before pushing his plate away. Dessert had been served in the time it took the messy haired child to eat his meagre dinner but although he caught Harry looking longingly at the sugar, sweets and cake heart attack pilled on every table he hadn't reached for a single morsel.

What was _wrong _with the boy?

Severus told himself he would find out latter but for now would enjoy his own dessert and keep an eye on the other student to gorge how many stomach settling potions would need to be made. In the first week back students tended to gorge on the sweets now that they were free of their parents constraints and it always boded bad for the hospital wing as it was flooded with pucking students that had suffered because of their gorging. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Harry once again slipping out of the Great Hall.

XXXXX

Severus was in his room later that evening grading his papers...or at least that's what he told himself he was doing despite the fact he had read a single one of the parchments in front of him. Instead his thoughts kept wondering back to one messy haired, green eyed child that was quickly becoming the bane of his existence for no other reason than he couldn't get him out of his mind. For a spy, who had to be calm at all times Severus found himself getting very frustrated and angry over one little boy.

Standing up and sneering to himself for being so week and wanting to check on Harry Severus Snape stormed out of his rooms with a flourish and down to the Slytherin common room. For once entering the snake house common room quietly he silently observed everything around him. The common room hadn't changed since he was a student and this late only a few of the older students were left in the common room, talking quietly, finishing summer homework or reacquainting themselves with each other in more intimate ways. Severus quickly looked away from those couples.

He was going to slip up into the first year boys dorm when he spotted the unmistakable head of black hair just rising above the back of one of the corner arm chairs near the fire. Walking the room so the back of the chair was not facing him Severus Snape looked upon the child of his boyhood enemy and almost felt his heart melt.

Almost, he still had a reputation to up hold.

Sitting in the armchair, half swallowed by the plush green cushion and sleeping peacefully was Harry. His small frame was curled upon himself and the large book he had come to dinner with lay open across his chest and bent knees. Walking closer, but still not moving out of the shadows Severus moved towards the small boy. The book title read '_Full and_ _Complete Encyclopaedia of Magical Creatures, Being and Monsters' _praying he didn't have another Hagrid on his hands Severus removed the book and placed it on the nearby dark oak table. Harry shifted in his sleep, a small moan coming from his lips as his eyes shifted restlessly under the closed lids.

Taking out his wand the Head of Slytherin House stood back and cast a warming charm on the boy that would last all night, telling himself that he did it because he didn't want to have to deal with brewing potions for hyperthermia. It could get cold in the dungeons at night, even with the fire roaring close by. Harry's eyes stilled and he relaxed in his sleep, completely comfortable in the large chair.

As quietly as he had entered, Severus Snape left the Slytherin common room.

**Chapter 5**

Severus was deliberately not thinking about how he had tucked Harry in last night in the common room. He was trying desperately to not think of his actions as being nice. He was also desperately trying to avoid thinking of James Potters son as anything but an annoying brat and not how cute the small eleven year old had looked curled up like a cat in the armchair. It was because of these reasons that he was also deliberately trying to avoided said eleven year old.

The potions master efforts would be in vain though as first year slytherins had potions that afternoon.

"Today you will be in pairs to make your potions. I am going to ask you to work in pairs for many potions during the year and you will be with the same partner every time, so make sure it is someone you can work well with. I don't want any stupid squabbles or fights in my classroom." Severus glared at the Gryffindor side of the room before moving his eyes quickly to Draco. The Malfoy heir was as arrogant as his farther and was bound to be as troublesome. "it is my hope that with two of you working on a potions your small dunderheaded brains wont be strained with the effort of multi tasking and there will be less stupid explosions for me to fix" the potions master paused. No one dared moved.

Eyes flashing in annoyance Severus snapped, "well, what are you simpering idiots waiting for, chose your partners turn to page 168 in you text books and start working on the potions I have assigned on the board." With a wave of his hand the instructions for the days potions appeared.

XXXX

The moment professor Snape had said the word partners Harry had begun to panic.

No one would want to partner up with him and he knew it. they could probable tell how stupid he was and wouldn't want him slowing him down, but he would probably have trouble completing the potions on his own. What was he going to do?

Harry jumped and the panic in him increased as his head of house snapped at them to move. Children stood up and moved quickly to a friend or someone within their house, not wanting to anger their dour teacher for not being quick enough. Gryffindors on one side of the room and Slytherins on another Harry felt the pain of his old companion rejection hit him as none of his fellow housemates looked at him and he couldn't find the courage to get up and ask someone. He knew no one would want to be with him.

At the end of the move Harry was still sitting at the back of the classroom, no one next to him and his head bowed. He once again jumped when he heard professor Snape's angry and impatient voice. "Longbottom, what are you standing in the middle of the room for like a lost puppy. I see you house mated must have some sense of self preservation after all if they chose not to pair with you and your clumsiness" a short pause followed and Harry felt those intense black eyes sweep over his head before moving to the rest of the room and then coming back to bore into him once again. "it appears there are an odd number of children in both houses this year. Longbottom take the seat at the back next to potter, you will be working with him for the year."

Harry looked up from the table in surprise, not sure if he should feel relieved that he would have someone to complete the potions with or scared about the prospect of someone working with him and seeing how stupid he was.

Snickering could be heard from the Slytherin side of the room as his year mates whispered teasingly about Harry's bad luck of having to work with a clumsy Gryffindor. The Gryffindor were giving Neville apologising looks but were saying nothing to object to Snape matching one of their own with a Slytherin that they all believed was dark.

Neville picked up his books and bag quickly, balancing his caldron and almost ran to sit by Harry, for one not tripping up and spilling everything. As far as he was concerned Snape was a lot worse than Harry potter and he didn't want to bring about his potions professors wrath by dallying.

Snape glared around the room once and Harry ad Neville ducked their heads at the same moment, feeling the mans gaze rake across them.

"Well, what are you waiting for. The instructions are on the board. Get to work!" professor Snape bellowed.

Neville looked shyly at Harry beside him to find wide green eyes looking just a shyly back. For a moment the eleven year old felt nervous, the unnaturally shaded eyes, wide and magnified by the large glasses Harry wore making him feel uneasy. Neville gathered up his courage though, proving why he was in Gryffindor and decided to be the first one to talk.

"I-I'll get t-the ingredients" he turned around quickly and walked to the storage cupboard, tripping on the way. Harry was glad the other boy had spoken first; he hadn't known what to say and didn't know if the other boy would even want to speak to him despite the fact they were going to be potions partners for the year.

Neville returned, his arms full of ingredients, walking with slow careful steps to make sure he didn't drop anything. Placing all the ingredients on the table Neville read the first instruction and began to chop the shrivelled root while Harry brought the caldron to the right heat and added the base.

The green eyed boy glanced nervously over at his partner and the root. A low murmuring had settled over the room as people talked quietly about the potions. Pockets of silence appeared when the professor walked by a table to inspect the preparation of the potion. Harry could see him getting nearer. He glanced once more over at his partner and the root he was chopping, and not slicing as the instructions called for. He worried his lip nervously. Would his partner shout at him for correcting his mistake? Maybe he was being stupid and the other boy new a better way of making the potion but his head of house was getting closer, and they really should follow the instructions on the board and…

Neville tried to add the ingredient to the simmering caldron, Harry's hand shot out and stopped him, clamping around his fist in an effort to stop him adding the wrongly prepared ingredient. Neville looked startled, and slightly scared I his direction before yanking his arm away wit his greater strength. Harry let go willingly. This seemed to surprise the other boy more.

"w-why d-did you do that?" the brown haired boy whispered franticly, trying not to talk to lowed.

Harry gulped and gathered his courage to answer him. Hoping he hadn't done something stupid. "Y-You p-p-prepared the r-root w-w-wrong."

Neville looked at the board and back at Harry. "no I didn't" wondering if the Slytherin really was trying to get him in trouble with his head of house and muck up his potion even more. "I s-sliced them j-just like it said."

Harry shook his head franticly, his courage deserting him fast. "Y-You c-chopped them, not s-sliced."

Harry watched as the other boy looked at him in surprise, some of his fear leaving. "T-There is a difference?" Harry nodded and decided it was easier just to show the other boy. Taking the knife and another root he began slicing them, just as he had be taught by aunt petunia when she wanted to make a meal look fancy like on her cooking shows. He held the sliced root up for the other boy to see and compared it to his attempt. Neville's mouth had formed an 'Ohh' of understanding.

Harry turned away from him, not knowing if he had done the right thing or made the other boy angry and added the root to the cauldron so they didn't get so behind. He stirred exactly six timed clockwise with even gapes of time between the stirs exactly as the instructions called for. He then let the cauldron sit for two minuets, dicing his fire pixy wings while he was waiting and added them at the end of the two minuets, watching the cauldron send out rose smelling steam and turn violet.

Neville watched the other boy work and confidently prepare the ingredients, the cauldron turning the exact colour as the text book said it would. Snapping out of his daze when he hear the swish of professor Snape's robes nearby the brown haired boy turned to see the potions professor snapping at Ron Weasly for preparing his ingredients wrong and letting Hermione granger do all the work.

Turning back he tried to find out what stage Harry was at and what ingredient needed preparing next so that his professor wouldn't accuse him of the same thing. Harry was at stage six, which called for three anti clockwise stirs every thirty seconds for six minuets to bring the potions to the final stage.

The instructions called for powdered juice beetles and cubed bat liver next. Taking the mortar and pestle Neville didn't think he could go to wrong grinding beetles and began doing that. He caught Harry looking over with his bright green eyes and seeming surprised that Neville was helping him make the potions but didn't say anything to stop him and went back to counting stirs. The brown boy felt happy for a moment that the messy haired boy thought him capable of helping him make the potion. He was sure all of the other Gryffindors would have either done all the work or not bothered to help him. The only Gryffindor that seemed any good at potions was Hermione.

Finishing grinding the beetles, Harry hit the three minuet mark in his stirring. Neville glanced over at him nervously aware that Snape was almost right behind him.

"How do you cube something?" he whispered to Harry nervously. Harry looked up at hi in surprise. The other boy was asking him for help. Him, Harry, the stupid little freak. The green eyed boy suddenly felt very nervous, what if he gave the wrong instructions, what of the other boy thought he was being stupid, but Neville had asked hadn't he so he must want him to say something.

Harry only just continued to stir in time and narrowly avoided ruining the potion. "You needed to cut it into squares as even as possible. Cut it down the middle first and then across every couple of millimetres or so. Try to keep the crosses the same length, and keep the two halves together so you cut both at the same time" Harry had to break off for another stir. He glanced nervously over at Neville and saw him struggling to follow the hasty instruction, his tongue sticking out between his lips in concentration.

That was when professor Snape decided it was time to come and see how their potion was doing. The brown haired boy heard the swish of the potions master robes and his head shot up immediately while his eyes went wide with fear at the imposing figure and he began to tremble. Harry could feel himself starting to shake as the penetrating stare burned into him and gripped the stirring stick harder to stop his hand from shaking.

Looking over at the other boy he decided to try and distract him. "Remember to cut the liver in two long ways first down the middle and hold the two halves together."

Neville looked towards the quiet voice and was met by worried green eyes. Feeling a shame to the Gryffindor name he reasoned that if a Slytherin that was smaller than him and seemed just as frightened could continue working with professor Snape breathing down their necks then so could he.

His courage almost faltered as the potions master came and literally stood behind them, breathing down both boys necks. Harry hunched in on himself and stirred once more. Neville bent his head and used all of his concentration to cut the liver into small even cubes as Harry had told him to.

Strangle the professor just stood there for a minuet before leaving with another swish of his robes to another table, without saying a single word. Neville reasoned that it could only be that Harry had got the potion perfect but he didn't want to say so. Next to him Harry unhunched his shoulders and relaxed his grip on the stirring rod slightly. He breathed a silent sigh of relief too.

Harry stirred once more and held out his hand. "I n-n-needed the l-liver"

Neville handed it over and watched as Harry added all the little cubes to the potion, sprinkling across the surface evenly, before glancing at the beetles. "They n-needed to be c-crushed more"

The brown haired boy grabbed the mortar and pestle and quickly ground into the disgusting mixture until it was as fine as sand. Harry added three pinches and stirred once in both directions.

The potion first turned purple, then orange and decreased in content as yellowish steam rose into the air. It smelled like rotten eggs. Neville preferred what it smelt like before.

Harry breathed a sigh. The potion had done what it was supposed to do; he turned off the heat and got out one of his vials. Neville did the same.

"how did you do that?" he whispered urgently, there was a tickling of vials in the classroom as other people finished their potions and too started to pull out and fill their vials.

Harry almost jumped out of his skin. "D-Do w-w-what?" had he done something wrong. Had he ruined the potions-but it looked perfect, was the other boy mad?

"No how big to make the pinches?" Neville asked nervously, the other boy probably thought he was stupid now but he had always wanted to know, none of the other boys in his dorm had a clue.

Harry blinked one in surprise before answering, filling his vial at the same time. "It's b-best if they are t-the same size, but the s-size of the pinches doesn't really matter, it's the number of them that are really important. I read it in the library." said Harry, gaining confidence through the explanation and stopping stuttering.

Both boys hurried up to the front desk to give in their potion. Before Neville had the chance to properly introduce himself, Harry scooped up his things and fled the classroom. Harry almost ran to the common room and into his bed. He hadn't known if the other boy would have wanted to talk to him and was still shaking slightly from his head of house being so close. Frankly he had got scared that the other boy would find out what a freak he was if he talked to him and had run away. Maybe if he only talked to him in potions he wouldn't find out and they could work together like they had today. Harry hoped so.

Remembering that potions had been his last lesson on the day Harry reached under his pillow to pull out the book he had borrowed from the library and began reading.

XXXXX

The moment Severus walked into the classroom his eyes immediately seeked out the messy head of lack hair that was the trade mark of all the potters. He found the head it belonged to bowed and staring intently at the table. Not knowing what the best way to protect the boy was and remembering how oddly gentle he had been the other day Severus felt confused about his feelings, Severus Snape did not like being confused so he found himself getting angry. This could be seen by the way he had snapped at the class to get to work. Hopefully his new lesson plan to have everyone in partners would result I less exploded cauldrons and less headaches for him, though Severus wasn't counting on it.

He found his anger coming to a point when that bubbling idiot Longbottom was left standing in the middle of the classroom, looking around helplessly at his housemates, who had already gotten partners and had left him stranded. So much for Gryffindor unity. At least the other first years were showing some survival instincts. Severus had only had class a few times with the first years and already he knew Longbotton being near any kind of fire or caldron spelt disaster.

Eyes darting about the room Severus realised with a kind of sympathy that Longbottom hadn't been the only one left by his housemates. Potter was sitting forlornly, bright green eyes flashing for a second as he glanced up before once more resting on the table. Severus felt slightly sorry for the potter brat as he ordered Longbottom to partner with him.

Class continued as normal. Walking around the caldrons Snape started with a couple of his Slytherins. Looking at Crabb and Goyle he could already see they hadn't bothered to read the instructions and had the wrong ingredients. Severus sneered but moved on without saying anything; as long as their caldron didn't blow up he didn't care.

Looking at the Malfoy brat Severus could admit that the child had some skill in potions, but it could just be the extra tutoring he received at the manor that meant he was ahead of his house mates. Strangely Severus didn't feel like complimenting the boy, even though he was seen as a favourite Slytherin prince and it would annoy Mininarva and the other Gryffindors. Instead he just moved on.

Looking at the Gryffindor potions he almost winced, the youngest Weasly boy and Finnegan had cut all of their ingredients wrong and as a result the caldron was belching dangerously and a violent florescent green colour. Looking at the red hair and arrogant freckled face Severus remembered that this was the child that was going to befriend Harry for money. This would take some particularly creative insults.

"Weasly, Finnegan, what are you doing. Did you even read the board or has your mother finally become so overloaded with children that she forgot to teach them to read. Finnegan, I doubt you could tell your arse from your face, though it's obvious where the confusion comes from but I expect you to be able to tell the different between bat liver and rat spleen. If maybe you two each had a brain cell and rubbed them together you might be able to make the simplest of potions, but since that would mean either of you having a brain, no matter how small it is, I'm obviously indulging in wishful thinking. 10 points form Gryffindor for your incompetence, if you are not going to learn to brew in my class you could learn to improve your reading and writing skills by copying out the entirety of your potions textbook." With a wave of his wand Severus vanished the potion just before the obnoxious concoction would have blown up. Both Gryffindor were red faced with humiliation and anger, the colour clashing horrible with the Weasly's hair.

Feeling slightly better now that he had managed to have a good rant at some of his most incompetent pupils Severus move on to checking the other potions. He had not missed out of the corner of his eyes potters hand shooting out to stop Neville from adding an ingredient. Good thing too as Longbottom appeared to have no clue on how to even prepare his ingredients properly, let alone brew anything not poisonous. He felt a flash of surprise when the potter boy decided to demonstrate perfect slicing technique to the brown haired boy but thought nothing off it and instead began to inspect Granger's cauldron. The girl was standing to attention but not missing the stairs and was gazing at him starry eyed waiting for approval. Severus felt slightly sick at the look she was giving him and quickly moved on with a nod. Slowly working his way to the back if the classroom and potters cauldron.

Severus knew that the students would be bottling soon and should get back to his desk at the front to collect their miserable attempts at brewing. Moving slowly with a swish of his robes he came to stand behind the last pair of students.

Both hunched up on each other though potter was less obvious about it. Snape would have got closer to inspect the potions but he thought of Longbottoms shaking got any worse he would end up cutting his fingers off and Severus didn't need to be dealing with a bleeding and crying first year. No doubt Mininarva would think it his fault one of her precious Gryffindor's was injured.

Blinking in surprise the onyx eyed man realised potter had began to whisper quickly and that the Longbottoms boy had resumed his chopping. Using his spying skills Severus listened to what the green eyed boy was saying.

"…remember to cut the liver in two long ways first down the middle and hold the two halves together."

The by was telling Longbottom how to cut the bat liver in an effort to distract him from Snape's presence. Maybe the boy did have some Slytherin in him. Watching as the boy carried out Harry's instructions; Severus moved away from the desk with another swish of his robes and went to the front of the classroom to stand behind his desk.

The children came up nervously to hand in their potions; Snape nodded to every one of his Slytherins and kept a blank mask for the Gryffindors. Granger looked disappointed. Weasly and Finnegan obviously didn't hand anything in. dismissing them once he had their potions Severus watched Harry and Longbottom whisper together before Harry almost ran to his desk to push the potion into his hand before fleeing the room.

Left alone once again Longbottom looked slightly lost. Severus cleared his throat to get the boys attention and the potion vial from him. The boy packed up quietly and left the classroom in bumbling steps.

Severus looked down at the two potions vials that he held within his hands. The potion in them was perfect. Maybe it hadn't been a mistake partnering two lost boys together.

**Chapter 6**


	2. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi there, I said I would be continuing this story and I finally am. If you are reading this chapter then you know of the changes I made with Dumbledore. The rest of the story will continue with him acting in the same way.

I would like to thank all of you that are still interested in this story and are still reading despite the long wait. I don't know if I will be posting regularly but I do plan to be posting.

This chap is just read through by me as for some reason my beta wasn't responding to my email and I wanted to get the chapter up. If there are a few small mistakes please don't flame me. Hopefully I will be able to contact my beta soon.

I think the chap is a bit of a filler but it is needed to set the characters and the scene for when the story starts moving so bare with me.

Right that's enough blabbing. Again, sorry for the wait. I would love any reviews you are willing to give.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 6**

Neville left the classroom quickly, not stopping to feel embarrassed when he almost tripped over his own feet. Instead he was focused on catching up to Harry, he hadn't made any friends in Gryffindor yet and although he had only talked to Harry briefly he thought they could be friends. It would be better then being left by himself again, as he had been for the last few days.

"Hay, wait!" he said, a little out of breath. For someone small Harry could move quickly.

Harry stiffened and stopped walking as he heard the other boy calling out to him. For a minuet he considered carrying on walking but then decided he boy would just get him in lessons and if the boy was going to shout at him it would be less embarrassing to do it when there was only a few people left in the corridor. Decision made, he waited for the other boy to catch up.

Neville puffed a bit from his small sprint, glad that the green eyed boy had stopped but nervous now as he didn't know what to say. However, he didn't want to seem like an idiot for telling the other boy to wait and then not saying anything. Now that he was standing here with Harry the doubts that anyone would want to hangout or even talk to him had returned and he was dreading the rejection that was sure to come. Looking at the other boy he realised that he wasn't even looking at him and was instead standing stiffly, with his potion book gripped tightly to his chest and staring intently at the now deserted corridor.

"W-where are y-you going n-now t-that potions is o-over, i-it was o-our l-last class?"

Harry blinked once and relaxed slightly, even though he knew it was normally a bad idea to do so. The question had been so unexpected that he ended up answering it truthfully without fully realising his own actions.

"T-the l-library."

Neville was glad the other boy had spoken to him instead of just blowing him off, but he was still nervous and now he didn't know what to do. He wanted to go to the library with Harry as he seemed nice and so far had listened to him more than his housemates but at the same time he didn't want to ask in case the boy said no. What was he doing? He was a Gryffindor wasn't he, the hat had said so. He could at least have the courage to talk to some one.

Thinking courageously was a lot easier than acting courageously and Neville was disappointed at how week and pathetic his voice sounded.

"W-w-would y-you m-m-mind, if-if-if I j-join y-you?" the brown haired boy winced. No one would want to hang around anyone who sounded that pathetic. The other boy must think he was a whiny cry baby.

Harry startled, though the other boy didn't see as he was thinking about his own short comings. The other boy wanted to come with him. To be seen with him. But…but people never wanted to be seen with him, or talk to him, or…do anything with him apart from punish him. He was a freak. An unwanted burden on those around him.

The other boy was looking at him and although Harry knew it to be impossible he looked sincere in his desire to come with him. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? What if he said yes and then the boy saw what a freak he was and how stupid he was and didn't want to talk to him? What if he told everyone else? But Harry rationalised to himself that they would all find that he was a freak eventually and it would only be a matter of time before he was alone again. This might be his only chance to sit with someone normally; he could even pretend that they were friends and imagine it was true for a moment. The temptation of his forbidden desire made the decision for the messy haired boy.

"S-s-sure," he stuttered before quickly walking off, hoping the other boy would follow and it wasn't just a cruel trick. He was elated when the other by did just that, stumbling over his own feet slightly.

Neville was surprised that Harry agreed but quickly moved to catch up as the black haired boy moved off quickly, presumably to the library. He flinched as he stumbled, expecting the other boy to change his mind about being around someone so clumsy or at least laugh at him. However, bright green eyes barely glanced at him as they moved swiftly through the corridors.

This brightened Neville's spirits, maybe Harry would actually want to be his friend and wouldn't mind if he was clumsy.

Caught up in their thoughts about friendship, or their lack there of, neither boy talked as the stone slabs past beneath their feet towards the library.

XXX

One neat brown head and one messy black head were curled up in a corner of the dusty Hogwarts library and bent over their respective books. Occasionally the brown head would move to look at the parchment on the table in front of him next to his book, nod his head and return to his reading. The other head made no movement but the pages turned regularly with a crisp sound as the knowledge within them was consumed by bright green eyes. It was peaceful.

When first arriving at the library both boys had hesitate, wondering if this was where they would part ways and where the other boy would go and sit. When Harry saw the librarian and a few other people in the room staring at him he had fled into a corner of the room. Not as removed as the place he had meet Salazar but still isolated and hard to see from within the shelves and mounds of books. Neville had followed quickly, not wanting to be left alone in the middle of the room like he was in potions class earlier that day.

Both boys had pulled out books, parchment, quills and inc. Prepared to do their homework early so they wouldn't have to worry about it, and because they had little else to do. Harry was hoping if he did it early enough he could add more information and read ahead so the teachers might not think he was stupid or too far behind. He knew it was impossible for him not to be seen as stupid but he was prepared to try any way to prove himself. It didn't hurt that he also really liked reading.

Neville was thinking that if he got the homework done straight away it would make up for his lack of ability in the practical portion of class and he could spend more time practicing so he wasn't too far behind. Ten minuets into the silence of scribbling quills and turned pages Neville had final gathered enough courage to again ask Harry for something. The smaller boy had been so shocked he almost dropped his herbology book.

"H-Harry, c-could you h-h-help me w-with my p-potions essay?"

"Ah, ah, s-sure" was Harry's hesitant reply.

The next hour had been spent helping each other with their respective essays and over that hour the stuttering had come to a stop and the tension that had been resting on their shoulders turned into a comfortable clock of companionship, surrounding both boys in its warmth. Harry of course didn't know all the answers to the potions homework so they had to get many books to look through. Once discovering that Harry was doing his herbology essay Neville had offered to help and more books were added to the growing pile. While Neville had years of experience and learning to help Harry with herbology and provide the relevant facts Harry found that he had a better understanding of potions and how they reacted than the other boy, as well as knowing how to processes to prepare the ingredients. To him it was a combination of very precise cooking and chemistry, which he had always been interested in at school.

The result had been that within an hour both boys had completed both essays and while Harry had put his away and dove back into another book he had picked off the shelves Neville was doing the last proof read off his potions essay.

It was in the peaceful silence that had descended on the two boys that Hermione Granger appeared.

She had first gone to the common room to see if any of her new house mates would want to do homework with her. Instead she had found that the rest of the Gryffindors weren't even concerned with their homework and instead were talking and playing various games throughout the common room. She hadn't minded until they started bugging her about joining them and ruining the atmosphere. When that obnoxious Ronald Weasley had made a comment about her being nothing but a teacher's pet and in the wrong house she had given up trying to do her homework there and headed to the library that she had found the previous day. Truthfully, she had wanted to visit again straight away but she had promised herself she would spend more time with her peers in an effort to make friends before coming to Hogwarts and she had been determined to keep the promise even if it was only to herself.

When entering the library she had headed straight for the nearest clear table. There were many older students at the tables already but she knew they would not appreciate a firsty studying with them. It had been with great surprise while searching for books for her homework essays that she saw some other first years sitting at a table. The table was piled high with books and one of the boys had parchment in front of him. It surprised her even more to notice that the brown haired boy was her own housemate Neville Longbottom and he was with Harry potter, the boy she had tried to defend in potions class.

She hadn't had any success with her previous housemates when it came to making friends because of her opinion on the importance of school work, but these boys were obviously doing homework as well. Maybe they wouldn't turn her away and call her a know it all. They would obviously be grateful if she helped them with the difficult essay Professor Snape had set.

Mind made up Hermione moved over to the table, her mission to help the boys firmly in the front of her mind.

"Hi Neville, are you having some trouble with the essay set by Professor Snape? Potions are so interesting don't you think. Don't worry if you don't know the answers, I had already read five books on potions before starting the lesson so I know what the professor was talking about. Would you like some help? I wouldn't mind helping of you only ask me." Hermione had to stop here, having run out of breath and gazed expectantly at the brown haired boy.

Neville looked up when he heard someone calling out him name and saw his housemate Hermione Granger standing only a few feet away from him and moving closer. He was nervous because he knew of her fast speaking and pushiness. In some ways she reminded him of his over bearing, but well meaning grandmother. It was hard to understand the fast speech the girl often used and he found it impossible to get a word in edgeways to dissuade her of the notion that he needed help.

Seeing that she had paused for breath he grasped the opportunity before she could try and start again. "A-a-actual-ly H-Hermione I h-have a-already f-f-finished. H-Harry helped m-me."

Hermione seemed to deflate, her hair seeming to lay flatter to mirror her disappointment. Hermione felt like an idiot and stood awkwardly next to the table the two boys were seated upon not saying anything. She had just assumed that they would needed her help and hadn't bothered to see if they were already finished. They must think her a right snob to assume that they needed her intelligence. She may as well have screamed '_stupid_' in their faces.

Trying to regain her pride and to break the awkwardly silence that he descended between her and Neville she turned to the other boy seated at the table, he wasn't looking at parchment, maybe he had given up and could use some help.

Harry was curled up in the chair, his legs pulled to his chest and a heavy tomb resting on his knobbly knees. The green eyed boy was so immersed in the knowledge of the book that he hadn't even been aware of the small encounter between the other two students in front of him. Looking at the book Hermione could see the title '_Beginners guide to arythmacy: Why numbers do what they do and why you should care'_ running along the spine. She was certain that wasn't on the school curriculum.

"Excuse me" she said, trying to get his attention. Neville turned to look at Harry as well. Not sure what the right thing to do in this situation would be. He and Harry had only done homework for a short time but he counted the boy as a friend. However, he had nothing against Hermione and she wasn't hurting Harry so he wasn't sure of it would be the right thing to send the girl away. Being confused and completely out of his depth Neville kept quiet.

Looking to the boy far a response to her enquiry, she got nothing. Harry didn't even twitch.

"Excuse me!" she repeated a little more forcefully. Harry didn't look up from the book. A seconded latter he turned the page and continued reading.

Getting annoyed and being ignored so blatantly and losing patience but not wanting to shout in a library Hermione did the next thing she could think of to get the black haired boys attention. Taking a step closer so she was right next to the chair he was curled upon Hermione moved her hand in front of the book in his line of sight and snapped here fingers loudly.

Harry actually jumped in surprise, his green eyes wide in shock, and sent his book flying. Unfortunately he sent it flying towards the table which was piled with other books the boys had used earlier. The arythmacy book hit one of the stacks and sent those books flying. Neville jumped up from his seat and stepped away from the table as several books came tumbling down to land near where he had been seated.

Hermione also jumped back from the loud noise of books hitting the table. Just in time to stop another smaller stack from landing on her head. Harry wasn't so fast. The surprise from Hermione actions had frozen him for a moment. One of the heavier potions books was aimed for his head; the incoming possibility of pain brought Harry out of his shock and sent his thoughts flying.

He couldn't step back from the table as the heavy chair was behind him and other books were falling all around the table, stepping to the side he would be just as likely to get hit by one of the other falling books.

In panic and an effort to stop the pain that was sure to come if he let the book hit him Harry whipped out his wand and said the first thing that came into his head that he thought could help. He had read it recently in one of his course books and feeling excited at the prospect of magic and not wanting to seem behind he had sat in his bed in the Slytherin dorms with the book open and his wand out practicing the movements to make sure he had them right.

The knowledge of the repetitive motion came in useful now as he shouted the accompanying incantation to cease the falling book's movement.

"_Wingarduim leviosa!"_ the book stopped and hovered, an inch away from impacting hard on his head. Harry stared at it for a moment, truly surprised that it had stopped and relived that it hadn't hit him. It took a few seconds for Harry to realise holding the book with his magic was causing him to strain. Noticing this Harry automatically cancelled the charm and lowered his wand. The book succumbed to gravity and hit the floor next to his feet. All of the children stared at it for a moment.

Hermione looked back up at the small messy haired boy and opened her mouth to question him when another, harsher voice cut in.

"What is going on here?" Mrs. Price exclaimed as she rounded the corner in the book stacks to find out what the loud crashing sound had been. Seeing the books on the ground she shrieked. "What do you think you are doing. Pick those books up! Your noise is disturbing the library!" Her gaze turned on Harry, who was looking guiltily across the table and scattered books, viewing the mess he had caused. "Did you do this? Pick up the books! I have half a mind to ban you from the library for disrespecting and possibly damaging them in such a way!"

Harry's eyes widened in horror before dropping to the ground in dejection. He knew it couldn't have lasted, sooner or latter he would make a mess and they would see what a freak he was. But if he couldn't come to the library where would he study? Without studying extra he was sure to fall behind his class mates and be called stupid. Where else could he go now that he didn't have the library to be left alone, where else could he speak to Salazar in comfort without anyone knowing? Would the founder even want to talk to him after he discovered the mess he made? Harry's heart sank further.

"Please miss, it wasn't his fault" Hermione cut in, gathering her Gryffindor courage to continue speaking when confronted with the older librarians hard gaze. "I was trying to get his attention and snapped my fingers in front of his face. He startled and accidently made the stacks fall. So really it was my fault, but I didn't mean to damaged any of the books!" exclaimed Hermione, she made damaging the books sound like the worst kind on sin.

Mrs Prince narrowed her eyes at the girl before deflating. If it was an accident she couldn't really punish them. "Fine, get the books picked up and help me return them to their places. Let this be a lesson to you to return the books to the stacks before they get piled to high and become a danger. I won't ban you from the library…this time. But don't go disturbing the quiet like that again!" all three children nodded, looking relived and set to work quietly and quickly tiding up the books.

Harry himself moved as if in a daze. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't getting chucked out of the library and the librarian believed it was just an accident and wasn't going to punish him for damaging her books. The situation was so bizarre in his tilted mind that he had to repeat the notion of the idea several times before he could fully wrap his head around it. When he did Harry's amazement turned to something else. Hermione had revealed the truth for him and had not let him take the unjust punishment; she had helped him and told the truth. Dudley never told the truth, he always let his parents and teachers think everything was Harry's fault. Did all people tell the truth at Hogwarts?

Harry's head sunk a little. No, they didn't, he realised, thinking of Ron Weasley and how he had tripped him before. Some people here were just as nasty as Dudley.

"You ok Harry, you look kind of out of it?" Neville whispered as they shelved the last of the books, making sure Mrs. Prince and Hermione couldn't here him. Bright, fathomless green eyes gazed at him for a long moment before giving a small nod. Then again, Harry thought, some people here were a lot nicer.

XXX

Some time after the books were safely placed back on their respective shelves and Mrs. Prince had left to keep an eye on other student the library the tree first years were gathered around the table once again, and once again an awkward stiff silence had settled. Harry hid behind his arythmacy book, curling up in the chair like before and praying that Hermione would stop staring at him so intently as it was making him nervous. Neville had a herbology book in front of him but wasn't reading as he quickly glanced between the bushy haired girl and his shy friend.

No one really wanted to speak but all were feeling suffocated by the tension in the air. Hermione was the first to snap.

"That was the levitation spell you used." She stated, still staring intently at where Harry's head would be if it wasn't hidden behind the thick book. Hesitantly, green eyes peeked over the top of the worn leather cover. Looking at the intent brown gaze of the Gryffindor girl he nodded slightly.

"But we haven't learnt that yet!" Hermione exploded, the tension and her own confusion at the awkward social situation turning into frustration. Harry's eyes widened and he quickly ducked his head behind the book once again.

Neville shuffled his chair a few inches away from the volatile girl before looking across the table at Harry. Even though he wasn't that good at magic he had grown up in a wizarding family and new that the levitation spell was taught to first years quite early as it was an easy charm. He knew that some wizarding houses tried to teach the simple charms with practices wands so that they were ahead when entering Hogwarts.

"Harry?" he asked hesitantly, looking at Hermione to make sure she wouldn't interrupt. She seemed to be thinking about something and didn't seem to want to say anything else. Green eyes pecked out once again. "D-Did y-you l-learn the levitation c-charm at home?" Neville asked his stutter once again present now that there was a third party present.

Harry shook his head negatively before speaking "I-I read i-it in the c-charms book. T-the book s-said it w-w-was easy s-so I tried l-learning the w-words and m-movements t-to make s-sure I wasn't b-behind. I-i-it was t-the f-first thing I t-taught of. I'm s-surprised it worked" the words were softy spoken and despite the stutter they were clear. Neville nodded, that made sense and would explain why Harry knew the spell even if he didn't learn it at home.

"Isn't it illegal for underage wizartds to practise magic out of school?" Hermione asked, staring intently at Neville. He shifted under the gaze. Glancing over he saw that Harry had put his book down entirely, interested in the question and the answer.

"W-well i-i-its m-meant t-to be, b-b-but t-they only r-really m-monitor t-the magic at m-muggleborn h-homes."

"But…but that means all the other children can get further ahead."

Neville nodded.

"But that's cheating!" Hermione exploded again, outraged at the injustice. Neville leaned back once again and saw Harry do the same. The brown haired boy gave an apologetic shrug.

"T-that j-just how i-it is."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, still outraged but recognising that her outburst were pushing the boys away and that there was nothing she could do about the situation. After a moment of cross sulking, though she would deny it, Hermione decided to focus on more exciting matters. Namely if Harry could learn the spell before class, so could she.

"Hay," Harry turned his eyes to her. They were startling in their intensity. Suddenly the girl realised that she hadn't even introduced her self. Sticking out a hand she said "hello, I'm Hermione granger from Gryffindor."

Harry looked at the hand wearily, wondering if she really wanted him to touch her of if she would yank him into the table. Taking a chance he gripped her hand quickly before realising it. "Harry potter, Slytherin."

Hermione nodded, she had of course already known who he was, but it was polite to follow the traditional introductions. "Have you learnt any more spells that haven't been taught yet?" she asked eagerly. Harry glanced at Neville but he was looking just as interested as Hermione, just a little less energetic.

"Err, I-I read a-about t-them, b-but I haven't t-tried any more."

Hermione looked disappointed before asking. "Do you think I could do it? The levitation spell I mean?"

Harry startled not sure how to respond. Why was she asking him? He was stupid, a freak, not someone people asked the opinion of. Hesitantly he replied.

"Err, s-sure. P-probably if y-you try" glancing at his friend he suddenly added, "y-you probably could too Neville"

The brown haired boy looked surprised and shy at the same time. "Y-you think so?"

Harry nodded, wanting his friend to believe in himself. He wasn't sure if Neville liked him at all, or even thought of him as a friend and he was sure he would leave him when he figure out what a freak he was but he had been nice earlier and Harry wanted to repay that kindness.

"Yeah, I did it s-so i-it s-shouldn't be that h-hard."

"Well then we can practice it on this first" Hermione stated her wand already out as she gestured to a piece of blank parchment. "I read the charms book too and it said its best to practice first on light things to build up strength."

"O-Okay" Neville said, retrieving his wand too.

Harry didn't reach for his but watched them with interest. His hands still resting on his book as he inched closer to the table.

"Right, the movement is a swish and flick along with the incitation _wingardium leviosa. _You have to finish the incantation at the end of your flick." Explained Hermione quickly, more to check she had it right than anything else. Neville and Harry nodded, they knew this.

Hermione looked nervous before pulling herself together and pointing her wand confidently at the parchment resting on the table. In a clear, but not very loud voice so as not to entice Mrs. Prince's wrath, she intoned, "_wingardium leviosa_" her wand came flicking down at the end and the paper wobbled before raising a hairs breath off the table and then falling to it once again.

Hermione couldn't decide whether to be triumphant that it worked first time or annoyed that it didn't work well.

"I guess it's never as easy as it sounds. Why don't you try?" she said, turning to Neville.

The brown haired boy nodded nervously and moved the parchment towards him. In a much less confident pose and more nervous voice than Hermione he too voiced the incantation. "Wingarduim leviosa" the paper trembled but didn't rise. Neville deflated in shame and defeat. Harry and Hermione would see what a terrible wizard he was and leave. He still wasn't sure what he thought of Hermione as she was very pushy and overbearing, making him nervous but he was sure she had good intentions and was a nice person. It would also be nice to have a friend within his own house. Harry however had been genuinely nice companionship, even if they hadn't talked much. Neville had the feeling that he and the small black haired boy could have become great friends, even if they were in different houses and that wasn't normally allowed. Now that would all be ruined because of hid own lack of capability.

"Oh" Hermione said sounding as disappointed as he felt. "Maybe of you try saying the words clearer with more confidence it might make a difference."

Neville was startled for a moment; she was trying to help him. Looking to Harry he could see the boy nod, signifying he agreed with the frizzy brunette. He wasn't looking at him differently than before despite his failure at the spell. In fact he looked sympathetic that he didn't get it straight away.

Not sure what to think anymore Neville handed the parchment back to Hermione. "W-why don't y-you try a-again."

Hermione did, and again the parchment hovered a little of the table top. It stayed in the air longer this time but didn't gain any more height before falling down once again. Hermione huffed. Definitely annoyed this time that she couldn't get the spell. Neville tried, with the encouragement of Hermione and the silent encouragement of Harry and managed to get the paper to hover about as much as Hermione had her first time. Neville was elated with the successes but Hermione wanted to master the spell properly so turned to Harry.

The green eyed boy startled when attention was suddenly turned to him again, but didn't back away. "Why don't you try Harry, see if you can do it again?"

Harry nodded his head. Scared that he wouldn't be able to do the spell again and they would think the first time was a fluke. If he didn't do the spell would they stop talking to him? Hermione was gazing at him though and so was Neville so refusing to do what they said would definitely guarantee his abandonment.

"_Wingardium leviosa" _he said, flicking his own wand in the way he had practiced. The paper rose steadily off the table and hovered at head height. Feeling inflated with happiness at his own success and the joy of doing magic Harry moved his wand casually from side to side. The paper followed his movements. After a few seconds of making the paper dance he set it back on the table and ended the spell.

The look on the others faces made him cringe. Now that he wasn't focusing on the joy of doing and seeing magic he was suddenly scared. He knew no one liked it when others were better than you. Especially when it was a dirty little freak like Harry. The Dursleys had made it quite clear where he belonged when it came to academic success. Waiting for them to grow jealous and angry and leave him Harry was surprised when Hermione burst out not in anger, but in excitement.

"He said the words differently!"

"Huh!" asked a bewildered Neville. Harry had the same look of bedufflement on his face, for many different reasons, but didn't voice his confusion.

"He pronounced the words differently, that must be why it didn't work with us, because were not saying the incantation right and stressing the wrong syllables. The spells written in Latin so it makes sense you would pronounce it differently than you would English words." Harry was sure she hadn't taken a breath.

Neville just looked over whelmed. "Err, sure" to be honest he probably should have known how to say the incantation as he had grown up in a wizard's house but he had never given it much thought before. Now he felt silly and slightly dumb so he let the other girl continue to go on to cover his own embarrassment.

"Let me try, _wingarduim leviosa_" said Hermione, copying Harry's pronunciation. The paper rose, a bit less steady than Harry's, but it rose to just above head height where Hermione made a show of moving it side to side before replacing it on the table. She was grinning in triumph.

"You try Neville" surprisingly it was Harry who had spoken, in his soft hesitant voice. To caught up in the excitement of magic to stutter.

"Err sure. _Wingarduim leviosa_" the paper rose. It was shaking as it did so but it rose and moved with his wand before dropping to the table. Neville having lost the spell in his shock. He had done it.

"Well done!" Hermione congratulated.

Harry sat back and put his wand away before picking up his book and reading from where he left off. From across the table the two Gryffindors alternately practised the levitation charm.

He three of them didn't know it but that afternoon in the library; tucked away between the shelves in their own little corner, would be one of many to come.

XXX

When leaving the library latter to get to dinner, the trio having agreed to meet up at the library again next day after lesson, none of them noticed the bewildered, angry and calculating stairs that followed them coming from the other students as they witnessed a Slytherin walking with two Gryffindors. They didn't see and they didn't care.

Neville knew it was against the unspoken code but no one in his own house had been willing to talk to him and Harry was nice. Besides, he probably wouldn't find someone like Harry who didn't care that he wasn't a good wizard, was clumsy and loved plants. If he was going to be odd, he didn't have to be alone.

Both harry and Hermione didn't know the unspoken rule but they wouldn't have cared if they did. Hermione was so happy, having found some friends. She was already thinking about how happy her mother would be to hear it in her next letter home. If she had known about the code and the rivalries she would have thought them ridicules and nothing but a distraction from school work.

Harry was much the same in terms of happiness, still in amazement that people had been willing to talk and listen to him. He was ridiculously happy that they had both wanted to meet him again. Like real friends.

None of them noticed the stares; none of them would have cared.


	3. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi there, sorry for the long wait. This chapter ended up being longer than I thought and it took me a while to get into the mood to write it. Hope you enjoy it and like how the story is developing. I apologise if it is a bit slow paced but I want it to be realistic and not have instantaneous changes in character.

I still haven't heard back from my beta reader so I don't know if they have changed emails or not but that means the story is only proof read by me so I will apologise for any mistakes. If anyone would like to beta the story please email me.

Again I don't know how long it will be between updates as I am doing the story as I go and sometimes it takes me a while to get the mood for writing so please be patient.

Right, I think I have rambled enough. As always reviews are welcome as is constructive criticism but not flaming.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 7**

Weeks past as they normally do, class continued and the new first years got acquainted with the school while the older years got resettled. Before the potions master or the students knew it a month had past at the school of witchcraft and wizardry and along with it came the first of the many staff meetings the Slytherin head of house was loath to attend.

Settled in a corner of the staffroom close to the fire, while rain beat heavily against the windows behind the headmaster's back, Severus Snape glared at nothing in particular. Around him the other staff members, excluding Hagrid, Filch and Trelawney were gathered together and chatting quietly while sipping their over sweetened tea. The dark man sneered down at his own cup disdainfully and resolutely didn't drink the sugary liquid within. In his mind the mandatory staff meetings were nothing more than a social gathering where the teachers could trade gossip, with the occasional discussion about classes and students thrown in for proprieties sake.

Snape waited impatiently for the headmaster to ask such a question so he could give his opinion on the students and retreat back to his warm, sheltered dungeons and spend the rest of the day with his potions.

"Any problems with the students getting settled in your house Minerva?" the aged wizard eventually inquired, after a long discussion about lemon drops. _Finally_, thought Snape.

"The older years are all fine and have got back into the swing of things. The few that thought I wouldn't recognise that they had done their summer homework on the train have had to redo it and been straightened out."

The rest of the teachers gave similar assessments about the older years from their houses, occasionally talking about a few of the more talented or trouble making of the upper years. Snape said nothing, as was customary at the meetings but the other teachers cheerfully ignored his glowering presence and continued to gossip. Severus knew that the headmaster was just stalling to talk about the first years, and more importantly, talk about Harry.

The potions master refused to think about exactly when he had become comfortable with referring to the boy by his first name and why it wasn't bothering him now.

"And how are the first years settling in, any troublesome characters?" The headmaster eventually asked.

"My Puffs have been fine. Nothing exceptional but they are all friendly and have settled well, the only problem has been the usually homesickness from the poor dears, but some of the older students helped to cure them of that," replied Professor Sprout. Sounding as motherly as always. Snape resisted the urge to sneer.

"Not the best set of Ravens I have ever had, and again nothing exceptional to report. There were a few rows about privacy while they got settled but that has been sorted. Overall, they have settled fine and are finding the lessons stimulating." Flitwick spoke next, his normal jovial self.

"Minerva?" the headmaster enquired when he saw her pursing her lips.

"Normal amount of homesickness and privacy rows that happen every year. However, I am worried about some of my students and how they aren't fitting in with the rest."

"Who, my dear"

"Miss. Granger and Mr. Longbottom seem to be at odds with the rest of the people in their dorms. They have been no fights but they do not seem to be communicating with their year mates. Admittedly they talk to each other when out of the dorm but I am worried that they have made no friends amongst their dorm mates and have simply been thrown together because they don't fit into the normal groups."

"Ah, well, something like this happens every once and a while. I'm sure if you give it a bit more time they will find acceptance with the rest of your Lions Minerva. I have not seen much of them but they seem to have a bit more maturity than the rest of their year mates in your house. Maybe this has set them apart for the time being."

Minerva nodded slowly, lips still pursed. "That is true. Other than that concern all of the Lions are settling in well, a couple need motivation to complete homework but that is nothing new."

In his corner Severus smirked. His house didn't need motivation to do homework. They understood the importance of having both a good social group and academic achievements.

"And Severus, how are the new Snakes this year. I understand that we have some dangerous arrivals."

The potions masters smirk turned into a sneer. That was an understatement if he ever heard one. He made his sneer doubly ugly and glared for good measure when he saw all eyes had been turned to him with undisguised interest.

"Considering this is the first year with almost all children in my house coming from Death Eater families I believe that is putting it lightly Albus. As far as their behaviour is concerned they are acting as normal students, though undoubtedly they are reporting anything of interests to their parents. Malfoy, the arrogant brat, seems to have taken on the role of leader in the house, especially among the boys although most of the upper years have not been appreciating his arrogance and his behaviour has been corrected several times, but they haven't been able to do anything to drastic because of his farther. Other than that, everything is normal and my Snakes are doing well. There is nothing of interest to report."

"Ah, so there have been no arguments between the students, or open hostility?" Severus didn't answer and simply looked the old man in the eye, demanding that he got to the point.

"How is Mr. Potter doing? What are all of your impressions of him?" the headmaster eventually had to say when he saw that Severus was not going to accept the bait of his previous statement.

"After your actions and plain neglect of your duties as headmaster towards the boy you have no right to be inquiring about how he is doing!" the dark man sneered.

"Severus, that is highly disrespectful!" Minerva was quick to jump to the headmaster's defence. Severus noticed that all the other staff members were looking uncomfortable, even those that hadn't been involved in the conversation. The bloody _ignorance_, they knew _nothing_ about what he was referring too yet they immediately assume it was _him_ in the wrong and that he should be scolded for his apparent _disrespect_.

Seeing the oncoming hostilities Albus was quick to bring everyone back on topic, shooting Severus a warning glare that the man simply sneered at.

"What are your impressions of the boy Minerva?"

Her anger deflated and a look of disappointment flittered across her face. "Other than the disappointment and disbelief I felt when the boy was first sorted and didn't follow in his parents footsteps by becoming one of my Lions I can find little wrong with the boy. I just don't understand how a boy who parents were both Gryffindors to the bone would be in Slytherin."

Again the head of Slytherin house sneered. How blind were these people? "You know Minerva that the hat doesn't sort people into houses depending on their blood, it sorts them depending on their personality."

"I know that Severus!" she snapped, immediately becoming defensive. Before she could get a tirade going he cut he off icily.

"Then you can understand that as the boy wasn't raised by his parents and indeed has no memories of them that his home life and environment he grew up in would affect him more than his genetic code. A code of which he might ignorant off, I might add" Snape said, though he didn't believe his own words. He was sure Potter's relatives would have regaled him of storied of his perfect parents. Well, maybe not James Potter as they were not related but surely he knew about his mother.

Seeing that his argument had shut the animagus up he smirked triumphantly. However, Minerva was quick to regain her composer, much to his displeasure. The other teachers listened on with undisguised nosiness.

"Well, as I was saying, other than being in Slytherin" _the pure prejudice_, Snape fumed "I can find nothing wrong with the boy. He hands in his homework and takes notes during class, he in quiet and attentive and is having not trouble with the work set."

"I notice that he doesn't participate in class, never trying to answer a question even when it is clear he knows the answer. He is a quite, diligent and polite young boy." Was Flitwick's own assessment.

"Minerva and Filius are right." Ponoma Sprout cut in "I have observed that he never talks to his housemates or those around him other than a few words to Mr. Longbottom in herbology when they are partnered together."

Severus let himself feel surprised. He hadn't noticed that the boy had been isolated by his house mates, though considering he himself had said that most of them were Death Eater children and Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived he shouldn't have been surprised. He had noticed that he occasionally whispered to Longbottom during potions but considering the bumbling boy hadn't managed to blow up and cauldron yet despite his clumsiness and obvious inability at potions the dark man had let it slide. Fewer explosions meant less work and headaches for him.

Minerva huffed, "really Severus, you said there wasn't any problems, should you not have noticed that one of your students was not getting along with his house mates. Maybe the boy should be resorted."

"You know that the child themselves has to ask for a resort if that is to happen, and I insure you Minerva that I am aware of the issues in my house." He sneered, covering his ignorance at Potter's lack of social skills.

"Well, it is good to hear that everyone has settled in well and there are no problems, now about the latest prank by Messrs Weasley…" he headmaster interrupted, and with that the staff meeting descended back into talking and gossip.

Snape stayed quiet and brooding in his corner. His dark presence keeping anyone from so much as glancing at him as he held his now cold and untouched tea. He would have to make inquires about Harry's lack of communication with his year mates. He cursed that he was committed to following out his vow to keep the boy safe and was now having to get involved in the personal life of a pre-adolescent. If he didn't stop this soon he would go soft and his carefully crafted reputation he had made to keep everyone away and cautions of approaching him would be ruined.

He sighed noiselessly in the staff room, an unnoticeable exclamation of air from between his thin lips. He was curious about the boy now and getting concerned. When he had vowed to keep the boy safe he didn't think he would also feel the urge to make sure the boy was _happy_.

XXX

Latter, after he had escaped the chatter of the staffroom and its overly sweetened tea Snape stalked down to the Slytherin common room. He entered quietly without being noticed and immediately located the persons he wanted to talk to. Fifth years had a free period now and he had something to discuss with a couple of his prefects. Moving smoothly across the room he drew close to their table.

"Prefect Flint, Prefect Glowen, I have something I wish to discuss with you." The potions master watched silently as the students stiffened at his voice and turned towards him cautiously. Snape knew he was not a friendly man, though he tried to show the more human side of him to his own house he understood that his relationship with his students was one of respect and gratitude at his protection from the rest of the school rather than comfort and friendliness.

"It has come to my attention that one of the first new years has not been accepted well by his year mates. This has been commented on by some of the other teachers and as I am sure you both know that s not acceptable in Slytherin house as we must present a united front against the rest of the school. Tell me what have you noticed about Mr. Potter's behaviour?" Snape asked when he was sure he had their attention. He could see that they both relaxed and took on confused expressions at his subject of interest but he would let them puzzle it out on their own and not give excuses. While both from pure-blooded families the Glowen family had been firmly a light family for many generations, although they had remained neutral during the war to avoid notice. While the Flint family were neither dark nor light and they had had family members on both sides of the war Snape knew personally where this Flint's loyalties lay so he was confident in talking to both his prefects about things concerning the Boy-Who-Lived.

"He is an early raiser sir, most of the time he is in the common room before I have woken to do the first rounds." Flint replied.

"He also reads a lot sir, enough to put a Ravenclaw to shame. If he is not reading he is doing his homework sir." Was his female companions contribution.

"He is sticking to the assigned study group then?"

"No sir" she replied, "he does his homework by himself in the common room, though I suspect he does most of it in the library sir, as he barely seems to do any when in here. Most of the time he is out of the house sir."

"That is true sir, Maxwell Bartan informed me that he has been seen entering the library regally, almost every day. He has also said…" here Flint trailed off. Snape fixed him with a glare and he quickly continued, "I haven't confirmed this myself sir but some of the guys are saying he has been seen leaving the library with a couple of Gryffindors."

"Gryffindors?" asked Snape in surprise.

"Yes sir. Granger and Longbottom to be precise. I don not know if the rumours are true though, but he certainly isn't meeting up or talking to any of his dorm mates sir."

"…so he does not talk or spend any time with his dorm mates, even the time when he is not in the library, lessons or meals?" Snape asked, putting the information about Harry having Gryffindor friends to the side for the moment, he would confirm that himself latter.

"The only other place he may have been is the owlery sir" stated prefect Glowen.

"He is sending letters to his relatives then" the potions master stated, thinking it obvious.

"Err, no sir. Potter never receives mail…at least not from his owl sir" she amended, thinking of all the howlers a couple of weeks ago. Although no one had proof other than Snape that it was Harry the howlers had been intended for it was the most logical conclusion. Snape scowled, remembering the incident and felt a renewed surge of anger at the headmaster. "Someone has mentioned that whenever they see him in the owlery he is merely petting his owl sir and that they didn't notice a letter or any writing equipment with him."

"I…see. Tell me what are your personal opinions of Mr. Potter?" he asked in a smooth voice.

The perfects looked at each other a second before Flint shrugged and decided to answer. "To be honest sir, he hasn't made much of an impression. Most of us were surprised with the sorting…obviously, and we thought Potter would be something special or at least have a presence. Instead he is just quiet sir. Stays out of the way and stays out of trouble. Most of the time you wouldn't notice him unless you were looking for him or if he talked. Which he doesn't do often." Flint paused and seemed to be debating with himself if he wanted to reveal anything else to his head of house and how to word it. Snape stayed quiet and let the teenager think it out for himself. He knew the boy would tell him the truth and he didn't expect any important information to be kept form him so he let the adolescent have time to arrange his thoughts.

"He is slightly creep sir." He finally stated. Next to him his female companion nodded in agreement.

"Creepy, Mr Flint?"

"Yes sir…he is almost painstakingly polite and as I said you wouldn't know if you were standing right next to him or sitting only a chair over if you weren't paying attention and, well…" Flint sent a look to Glowen, she tilted her head and nodded to show she agreed with whatever it was he was talking about and encouraged him to continue on.

"At the beginning sir, when he first entered some of the students, mostly those from his own year, but a few of the older students as well decided to…show him how Slytherin works and who was in charge."

"And how exactly did they go about this Mr. Flint?" Snape had an idea how the students had decided to show Potter who was in charge and he felt a slow kind of anger building up within his chest. Not only angry that Potter had been hurt, but that his own students decided it was fine to attack a defenceless eleven year old. Evidently he didn't have as firm a grip on his house as he thought. Perhaps a few more detentions when he found out who had hurt the boy.

"Mostly just name calling sir." Stated Glowen, seeing the frown darkening the potion masters face. "most of the insults and teasing came from his own housemates, I'm not sure what they have been saying in their dorm room but if its anything like what they are saying out in the common room it's pretty bad stuff sir," Snape nodded, signalling her to continue with her explanation, "but...well sir, Potter didn't give much reaction to the insults so they decided to try a different way." Here she stopped and looked towards her friend to continue after her.

"They threw stinging and mild cutting hexes at him sir" Flint rushed out in one breath and then took a small step backwards when he saw the expression on his head of house face.

"They _what_?"

"They threw hexes at him sir" the scared prefect repeated.

"And tell me Mr. Flint, Miss Glowen," Snape hissed out, "why didn't one of you or the other Slytherins' come and report such acts to me? Who cast the hexes?"

"Err...mainly the younger years, they got some of the older students to teach them, though a few older students thought it might be fun and threw a few as well, but we're not sure of everyone who took part sir"

"That answers my second question Miss Glowen, but not my first. Tell me why you or another prefect did not report this violence to me immediately?" he gave both prefects a hard stare, trying to force an explanation out of them. Truthfully he was disappointed, he expected better from his prefects, especially ones as smart as these two.

"Sorry sir...but...we didn't know until it had almost stopped, and then it took us a while to confirm out suspicions and by then almost no hexes were being thrown sir."

"I would have thought that it would have been obvious when an eleven year old boy is the subject of such viciousness Mr. Flint."

"Well sir, that's how Potter is creepy."

"Explain!" Snape stated firmly. Crossing his arms, unintentionally becoming more intimidating.

Flint faltered for a moment and then continued. "Well, if another firsty got hexed like Potter did they would have been screaming about it, and even if they didn't it would be easy to notice that they are in pain, but there was absolutely no change in Potter. Like I said he has no presence and is hardly ever here so it's hard to keep an eye on him as it is but he just...threw of the hexes like he threw off the insults. It was like he couldn't even feel the stinging or the cuts. It was wired sir, and it made me a Jenea doubt what we were seeing and hearing in the common room."

"It's true sir" Jenea Glowen said, jumping to her other prefects defence when she saw the disbelieving look on Snape's face. "I managed to catch some of the firstys red handed once, gave them detention as punishment of course. I would have gone and asked Potter of he was alright but he didn't even flinch sir. I know the stinging hex hit him and that it was quite powerful but he didn't even react, like he couldn't even tell he had been hit sir. It was rather weird and it made me hesitate about approaching him."

"Hmmm, I trust this is no longer going on?" Snape said, his smooth voice carrying the hint of a threat and the anger he was feeling.

"No sir...everyone kind of stopped when Potter gave no reaction, like they mainly stopped with the insults. It was no fun apparently when Potter didn't show that he was hurt and to be honest sir I think the fact that he didn't react at all also creeped everyone else out sir." Flint stated.

"Very well, I shall not punish you for not informing me of the acts of your house mates this time, but if such a thing happens again you will tell me immediately, even if it is just a suspicion."

Jenea and Marcus nodded their heads in unison. "Yes sir"

"I will also expect a full and complete list of everyone you think threw a hex of curse at Mr Potter on my desk by tomorrow, don't disappoint me." With that closing statement Snape swept off. Both prefects relaxed slightly now they were out of their dark head of house's company. Snape didn't notice, he was too busy fuming in anger and cursing in his head.

Deciding that his next stop should be Harry's dorm to talk to his dorm mates he mentally checked the study schedule he had given his students, making sure that the first years should be studying in their dorm now. Sweeping up the stairs and to the first year dorms he found five eleven year olds sprawled out on their beds doing more talking that studying. They all jumped to attention when noticing his foreboding presence in the door way. Normally Snape would be half pleased half sad that he could command such a reaction by merely standing as his students feared to such an extent but this time he took only petty sadistic pleasure in making them scared knowing what they had done to Harry.

Only when all the students had quickly scurried off their beds and shoved their quidditch magazines under their textbooks did he speak.

"There has been a complaint about one of the first years and the behaviour of you all. I don't know if the accusations are true and neither do I care but I will not let our house be looked down upon any more that it already is. You are meant to be better than the other houses and so I expect this behaviour to be corrected." Best not to let these first years think he was even slightly concerned about Harry. With miny Malfoy and Nott in the room it was dangerous to show anything more that contempt. Who knew what they were reporting back to their fathers and the other free Death Eaters about the school and its inhabitants.

"I have been told that you have been insulting and hexing a fellow year mate of yours."

"You mean Potter" interrupted Malfoy, spitting the name and looking incredulous that Snape

would care about that.

Arrogant whelp, interrupting him like that. He would knock that smug smirk of the blonde's face if it was the last thing he did. "I do not care who it is Mr. Malfoy, all I know is that your actions and behaviour are making our most noble house look petty because of you childish name calling and spells. The other teachers have noticed and it is humiliating not only yourself but the entire house that you do not even have the subtlety nor the cunning to avoid getting caught. Are you sure you are suited to this house Mr. Malfoy? With how open and rash you actions have been I would have thought you were more suited to being a Gryffindor."

Snape felt another small thrill of petty sadistic pleasure when he saw the smug smirk drop of the boys face and the pale skin go suddenly paler before flushing rosy pink in anger and humiliation. Nott started sniggering and Snape turned his glare on the boy, making him cease and stumbles backwards on to the bed in fear.

"That goes for all of you in here. I do not care whether you like your house mate or not, but you are not to embarrass Slytherin house and humiliate us in front of the rest of the school because of your childish behaviour. Insult people all you want, as long as it is in the common room and no more hexes. If another student or teacher were to notice the marks you would be expelled."

Glad that all of the eleven year olds were looking suitably cowed and pale in fear Snape carefully moved the topic onto what he was really concerned about.

"I see that Mr. Potter is not here and violating the study plan I made for his benefit. I shall talk about this to him latter when I see him. I have also had some complaints about Mr. Potter and shall talk to him and make it clear how a Slytherin should act but I would like you to tell me, as his dorm mates, what his behaviour is like so that I may suitably correct it." there, that sounded logical but also degrading to the Boy-Who-Lived in such a way that none of the children would believe he was doing this for the boys own good and was concerned about him.

"He's all moppy" that was Malfoy again, apparently he had gotten over his previous humiliation and was excited about the chance to insult Potter in front of his head of house, Goyle and Crabb gormlessly nodded along to Malfoy like the good little mindless slaves they were.

"He's creepy as well, and never says anything. I think he is damaged in the head." That was Nott, a shrewd boy that while not as arrogant as Malfoy he was just as vicious and just as much of a spoiled brat. Merlin Snape hated brats like him.

"Yeah," said Malfoy, agreeing eagerly but wanting to keep the attention firmly on him. "He's really stupid and slow. I think maybes he's deaf as well as blind because he never talks back even when we ask him something. Stupid potty."

_Potty_, if that was the best insult the esteemed heir of the Malfoy family could come up with then it finally seemed that pureblood inbreeding had done its job.

Seeing that if he was to stay here he would hear nothing of importance and only insults from the brats he snapped at them before they could continue.

"I see, thank you for this information. I shall talk to and correct it for Mr. Potter. Lunch is to begin soon and you should all be heading to the great hall. Out of the dorm, now!" The boys scrambled to obey his orders and soon the dorm was almost empty.

Only almost empty, considering that both Snape and Blaise Zabini were still present within it.

Seeing the other boy wasn't going to leave but neither was he going to voice what he obviously wanted to say without prompting Snape cut into the boy's musings.

"What is it Mr. Zabini. I do believe I just told you to go to lunch. Is there a reason you are still standing there?"

"...it's about Potter sir...and his behaviour."

Snape raised one thin eyebrow questionably. "I do believe I have already heard about Potter's behaviour from your dorm mates just now, you did not have anything to say then."

"Well, no...it's just something else about him."

"Then please tell me Mr. Zabini so that I may correct it for the house's benefit."

"Err, well...you see..." seeing that the boy was beginning to ramble Snape snapped at him.

"I do not have all day Mr. Zabini, kindly say what you wish to say or get out and follow your dorm mates to lunch."

"He sleeps under the bed!" the boy blurted.

Snape blinked, the only outwards indication of the shock he was feeling. "Pardon?"

"Every night he gathers the covers and sleeps under the bed instead of on it. I only know because I saw through a gap in the curtain."

Not knowing what to make of this information Snape prompted the boy to continue. "Anything else you wish to tell me that you have noticed about Mr. Potter?"

The boy nodded, "his clothes are nothing more than rags really. I've only seen glimpses of them but I can tell, and he always wears his school robes, even on weekends. Oh, and he never lets anyone shower with him and will leave immediately if one of us enters. It's really strange sir."

Strange indeed. What on earth would make the boy act that way? And why would his clothes be substandard, was potter really such a messy child that he ruined his clothes that quickly? His prefects had told him that Potter spent most of his time in the library, when would he have a chance to mess his clothes up so much that they looked like rags.

Deciding that he wasn't going to find out the answers by just thinking about it Snape swore that after Monday's potions lesson he would keep the boy afterwards and find out. he would also address the boy about his habit of missing meals that he had noticed.

"Thank you for this information Mr. Zabini. I will be sure to talk to Mr. Potter about it as well as his other behaviour. You are to go to lunch now." He said, dismissing the boy from the dorm. A few minutes later Snape followed him down the stairs and out to the great hall himself. He strides were much slower than normal as he was still pondering everything he had learned about Harry that morning.

XXX

The children hurried to hand in their potions to their professor and then scurried off to pack their things away, eager to escape the dungeons and their menacing teacher and go outside to explore Hogwarts grounds. Surprisingly the sun had made a strong appearance that morning and although the air was still cool and crispy as always during September in Scotland the pupils were looking forward to spending the day outside under the sun. Harry too was just placing the last of the left over ingredients in the special waste bins with Neville when he heard his Head of House call his name out across the classroom.

"Potter, stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed, get out of my sight."

The messy haired boy froze in terror for a second before slowly moving back to his desk to gather up the last of his things. Neville and Hermione cast him and worried looks but as Harry had his head bowed in fear he didn't notice his new friends concern. Snickers from both the Slytherin and Gryffindor sides of the room filled the dungeon now as the other students imagined what Harry had done to get called out. The Slytherins were casting him smug smirks but again the messy haired boy didn't notice as he continued his inspection of the floor. He was far too frightened imagining what his Head of House could want with him and what punishment he was going to receive to notice the reactions of his classmates.

Eventually the last of the students cleared off, Neville and Hermione lingering till the last second but fleeing when Snape levelled a glare at them. Then it was just Harry and Snape left in the damp dungeon. Slowly the green eyed boy moved to stand in front of his teachers desk. Head still bowed, back hunched and hands clenched into his robes in an attempt to hide the fact that he was beginning to shake in fear.

Harry wondered what he was being punished for, not that he thought his teacher needed a reason. Freaks like him needed to be punished or they started getting ideas above their station. That's what Vernon had always said, so far though neither his other teachers nor his Head of House had so much as slapped him. Was he being called out now because he had been whispering to Neville? He was only trying to help the other boy and prevent an explosion, Harry was sure Professor Snape would like an explosion happening less than he liked him whispering, but he supposed that didn't really matter.

On no, what if they hadn't punished him before because they wanted to make it worse when they eventually did. What if Professor Snape had talked to the other teachers and told them not to hit him or punish him properly because he wanted to do it himself and make sure it really hurt? Vernon had told the teachers at his old school that he wanted them to leave his discipline to him and tell him if he had done something wrong so he could make sure it really hurt when he was hit. What if Professor Snape was doing the same thing? Was he going to cane him, or burn him with one of the potion fires? What if he used magic?

Harry shivered in fear and clenched his eyes shut beneath the veil of his messy black hair. He hadn't been in the wizarding world for long so he wasn't sure what magic was capable of when it came to punishment but if Professor Snape used any of the spells in the books he had read it sounded like it would really hurt.

His shaking got worse as Harry continued to stand in front of his teacher in silence, waiting for his fate to be decided.

Looking up from storing the class potions in one of the enlarged draws of his desk Snape noticed the shaking that was racking the small boy in front of him and the way his shoulders were hunched and hands clasped in a desperate effort to stop it. Normally he would leave his student to stew for a bit so that their imaginations could run wild with what punishment they were going to be assigned, but Harry wasn't really in trouble and he hadn't meant to make the boy so scared. Did he really inspire that amount of fear in his students?

The sight of the bowed head with its messy hair and the hanging robes that seemed to swamp the small boy was so pathetic that Snape found his voice coming out softer than he meant. He almost sounded caring.

"Relax, child, you are not in trouble" the boy gave a little jump at the softly spoken words and glanced up at him briefly in disbelief, green eyes flashing in to view for just a second before returning to the floor.

Snape felt his eye widen slightly in shock. Had that really been him speaking? He couldn't remember the last time his voice had sounded so comforting. Feeling uncomfortable Snape cleared his throat and sat up straighter, trying to cover for his earlier mistake. Harry may be having some trouble in the school at the moment but that was no reason to go feeling sorry for the boy and giving him undeserved sympathy and warmth. Making sure he was certain his voice would be normal again he continued to speak as it seemed the eleven year old was perfectly happy remaining silent.

"As I said, you are not in trouble so you have nothing to fear. However, I would like to talk to you about some of your current behaviour."

Behaviour? Harry didn't think he had done anything bad lately. He certainly hadn't back talked his teachers, the times he had eaten he had copied his housemates to make sure he used everything correctly, he had tried not to make a nuisance of himself in the common room and he had made sure to always wear his school robes so that he looked presentable and less like a ruffian as Petunia called him. Oh no, what if the professor was talking about Hermione and Neville, maybe Snape realised that a freak like him shouldn't be talking with normal people? Especially considering he was talking to students from a different house and one his Head of House seemed to hate so much. What if he was going to tell him to stop talking to them and punish him for thinking that a freak like him could have friends?

Clenching his eyes shut tight beneath his bangs Harry took several deep breaths, knowing that if he didn't he would start crying and that would only make his punishment all the more painful. Clearing his head of all the depressing thoughts and resigning himself to whatever his teacher deemed appropriate discipline to teach him his lesson he continued listening to Snape's smooth and sharp voice. Harry was glad it had gone back to its normal tone. The comforting one before had been so out of character and new to him that it had scared him slightly. Harry didn't know how to react to comfort or kindness, especially from adults. Sharp tones and distain were a lot more familiar.

"I am talking about your habit of missing meals and sleeping under your bed like a beggar." Looking to the boy for a reaction Snape saw none and was slightly disturbed, most boys would jump to their own defence at their actions but Harry just continued to stand there and look at the floor like it was more interesting than what his teacher had to say. Snape was starting to see what his prefects meant by creepy.

Harry unclenched his eyes in surprise but was so shocked that he wasn't being punished or shouted at for being talking to Hermione and Neville that he was frozen to the floor and could give no other reaction. In front of him Professor Snape continued talking.

"It is deplorable behaviour and I expect you to correct it. The other teachers and students have noticed and it is humiliating not only to yourself but to your house that you think yourself so high and mighty that Hogwarts food and beds are not good enough for you."

"I-I-I'm sorry s-sir," finally the boy had spoken, and an apology at that. He wouldn't have expected that from the son of the almightily James Potter. "I-I won't use t-the s-sheets. I-I know I d-don't d-deserve t-them, a-and I-I'll try to eat less s-so I w-wont waste as m-much f-food."

What the devil was the boy talking about now? Hadn't he just been telling the boy that he expected him to eat _more_ and to be present at meals as well as using his sheets _properly_ and sleeping _on_ his bed instead of under it? Was the boy that stupid? Snape didn't think his words had been hard to understand, even for an eleven year old brat. Losing patience Snape cut of the boys stuttering.

"Did you not understand me Potter? I quite plainly told you that I _want_ to see you eating more and in the great hall for meals times, three times a day, every day. I expect you to eat and not read at the dinner table and I also expect for you to sleep on your bed, not under it. It has been provided for your comfort, I do not care if it is not up to your standards you shall not get a replacement and will stop showing such disrespect towards your school and use it properly, I will be checking. Do you understand?"

The boy had finally looked up and gave a reaction, his green eyes were wide beneath his stupid chunky glasses and that showed a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Did the boy think he would cave into his tantrum and not scold him for his disrespectful behaviour?

"I-I..." Harry didn't know what to say. His teacher wanted him to eat more and sleep on a bed! What on earth was going on? That was what normal people did and he was a freak. He was sure Professor Snape out of everyone would have been able to see that. He didn't know what to say in the face of such outrageous and strange demands.

Narrowing his eyes, Snape decided to cut off the boys whining. "Understand me Potter, I will be watching you and expecting you at every meal. If you do not do as I say I shall have to discipline you and you _shall_ receive punishment." As he had expected, the threat of detentions and cleaning cauldrons had done its trick the boys eyes had returned to the floor as he stopped trying whinge.

Harry turned his eyes to the floor, glad that his Professor hadn't noticed him looking him in the eye like a normal person would. Despite the strangeness of the orders the threat of punishment was normal and almost calmed Harry down. At least now he knew what to do so he could try to avoid punishment for as long as possible. Staying silent and waiting for dismissal he wasn't left waiting long.

"You are dismissed." Watching the boy almost fly out of the classroom Snape was confident that he would obey his instructions and the boy would start eating something. He didn't particularly care of the boy had any friends or not, as long as he was healthy and not being harmed then he was carrying out his vow, both to Lily and to himself. Just because he was protecting the boy didn't mean he cared about his happiness.

The potions master continued to tell himself that even as his mind tried to reminded him of how pathetic the child had looked and how he himself had wanted to comfort the boy in that second.

Outside the classroom Harry was surprised to find that both Hermione and Neville had waited for him instead of going outside with the rest of their year mates. Feeling happy, he tried to forget the looming presence of his Head of House and the strangeness of the conversation they had just had and enjoy himself for as long as possible. He didn't think it would be long until the two other children grew tired of him or saw him for the freak he was but Harry was determined to hold off that moment for as long as possible.


	4. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hi there again, I managed to finish the update quicker than I thought with the help of my beta who has been absolutely fabulous in getting back to me super quickly and has done a great work proof reading my fics. Please give her a round of applause.

This chapter really got away from me and decided it didn't want to follow the story plan. I think it is better this way but it will mean I will have to spend some time rearranging the story to make it flow so please be patient and I will update as soon as I can.

Please review, I love hearing what you all think and thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I am sorry if I haven't replied to your personal review, please know that I do appreciate the feedback and want you to continue.

Right, enough rambling. Here is chapter eight of 'Not what they wanted, just Harry'

Enjoy.

**Chapter 8**

Harry entered the great hall with some trepidation and ducked his head in fear when he noticed his Head of House sitting at the teachers table and glaring at him. Walking swiftly to the Slytherin table to the left of the hall, the small boy slipped easily onto the end of the bench and stared down at his hands folded in his lap. He could still feel the intimidating glare coming from the head table and it was making him nervous and afraid.

Glancing up quickly, he saw Professor Snape give him a very meaningful look before shifting his gaze to the vast amounts of rich, heavy food on the table. Swallowing loudly in fear because he had remembered Snape's threat of punishment, Harry hesitantly reached for some of the food. Cautiously, in case the Professor decided to come sweeping down on him. Vernon had sometimes liked to play with him by making him think he was going to be allowed to eat and then cruelly snatching his meal out from under him before shoving him in his cupboard. Harry wasn't too sure that his dour teacher wouldn't do the same just to humiliate him.

When no slapping or shouting came, Harry moved a small amount of potato onto his plate as well as two pieces of broccoli and the smallest slither of meat he could find. Not bothering with gravy, the eleven year old slowly began eating his meal under the stare of his head of house. To Harry, it was a feast and the food; as well as the heavy and sweet pumpkin juice promised to fill him up quickly. Though Professor Snape thought it wasn't nearly enough.

The little urchin was making fun of his demands, thought Snape as he watched the messy haired boy fill his plate with something not fit to satisfy even a two year old. Did the brat really not think Hogwarts food was up to his standards or did he just enjoy being insolent? To add more insult to injury, the boy was moving at a snail's pace. At this rate he wouldn't finish before his year mates.

Feeling angry that the boy was going to disrespect him and not eat a proper amount at meals as he had pacifically told him not to many hours ago, Snape stealthily cast a few spells under the table to make a proper amount of food vanish from the high table and reappear onto the plate in front of Harry.

The boy jumped at the magic and ducked his head but Snape could see him looking around the hall for the culprit. When the boy glanced at him, he increased his glare tenfold making the small Slytherin flinch from the other side of the hall. Turning his glare to the food in front of the boy, Snape quietly but forcefully demanded the boy to eat the food given to him.

Harry looked at the food in front of him and gulped once again. He had finished about half of what he had on his plate before and was already starting to feel full as the food was rich and heavy. Looking at the amount of food before him he began to quietly panic. Surely, the Professor couldn't mean for him to eat all that! He would burst! Or maybe become as big as Dudley!

Seeing his Head of House's glare, Harry knew that he was meant to eat all the food in front of him and another full glass of the thick pumpkin juice. The green eyed boy could feel his stomach starting to rebel already as he picked up his knife and fork and slowly began to eat once again.

Seeing that the boy was following his instructions and confident that his threats of punishment and previous glares would stop him from disobeying, Snape turned his attention to his own meal and the rest of the students and teachers in the great hall.

Harry's shoulders relaxed slightly as he felt the dark gaze move from him onto other people but his relief was small as he gazed at the mountain of food before him. To make it worse, the Professor had slathered it all in the rich gravy and it was all starting feel heavy in his stomach.

By the time the dishes for diner vanished and dessert arrived, Harry was feeling queasy. Somehow, he had managed to consume nearly half of what was on his plate and half of the glass of pumpkin juice. However, the rich and heavy foods were having bad effects on his badly shrunken stomach and Harry could already feel it rebelling. Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer and that the professor wouldn't mind him not having any dessert, Harry almost ran out of the great hall. He could feel Snape's glaring dark eyes focused on his back again but for once ignored them; he had more pressing issues to attend to.

The brat was leaving already, surely going down to the kitchens so he could gorge himself on sweets. Snape paused a moment, trying to think if there was even a way for the brat to know where the kitchens were and if there was something else wrong with the boy instead. He hadn't been looking good through the whole of dinner but Snape had dismissed it as him not thinking the food was good enough for his palette.

Dismissing his doubts once again, Snape glared at the retreating student and then the half finished meal. Maybe he had put a bit too much food on it for the boy but how dare he not follow his instructions and eat it all. Since the boy was only going to miss dessert, Snape let him go without following. He was sure the boy was just being insolent.

Outside the hall, the doors banged closed behind the small Slytherin first year. Breaking into a run and firmly clapping his hand over his mouth now that he was out of everyone's sight, Harry made a dash for the nearest loo. His stomach was rebelling loudly and trying to get rid of the gluttonous amounts of heavy food he had consumed. Fearing that he wouldn't get there in time and that he would get in trouble, Harry felt the fear of punishment quell his stomach for a moment. Not a minute later, he was crouched in front of a toilet in one of the ground floor bathrooms cubicles and roughly heaving up everything he had just consumed while his small hands gripped the rim of porcelain as they turned white.

When his heaves became nothing but dry heaves and tears had gathered in his eyes, Harry slowly stopped shaking and slumped backwards onto the cold tiled floor. His throat felt like sandpaper and his eyes stung as they watered. His body was trembling and felt drained of energy. Five minutes later and when the shaking had finally stopped; Harry slowly got to his feet, exited the cubical and made his way over to the sinks. Looking at the mirror, his eyes were red and flecks of vomit were around his mouth.

_Great, now I look more ugly than normal,_ thought Harry as he carefully rinsed his mouth, grimacing at the taste and washed his face before swallowing some water to ease his throat and fill his now empty stomach to a reasonable level. He felt almost as bad as when he first arrived and Harry knew this was going to happen again when the professor continued to make him eat those large meals.

Tears sprung to Harry's eyes at his helplessness and he quickly whipped them away with the edge of his sleeve. Feeling drained, Harry slowly made his way out of the rest room and down to the dungeons. He didn't feel like talking to Hermione or Neville right now. Slowly, he became aware that Salazar was following him along the empty corridors and gave the carved man a smile. Trying to thank him and tell him not to worry at the same time without using his still aching throat. He was glad when the founder didn't say anything and simply stood in the stone work by the Slytherin common room fire as Harry curled up in his armchair after going to the dorm to collect his latest library book and began to read.

The presence of the normally intimidating man was a great comfort and Harry was sad to see him leave when other students started to arrive.

Tired and sore, Harry retreated to his dorm room early and changed before the other boys arrived. Pulling the curtains of the bed around him, he was going to collect the warm sheets and go under the bed when he remembered his Head of House's second command to sleep _on_ the bed like a normal person. Heeding the man's threat about knowing if he disobeyed, Harry slowly climbed onto the mattress. Feeling uncomfortable with its softness and pulling the sheets around and over him,

Harry kept remembering how Vernon had whipped him with his belt for the time he accidentally fell asleep on Dudley's bed whilst cleaning his room and shivered. Remembering one punishment brought the memory of the many others he had endured and although his weariness made him fall asleep, Harry slumber was far from restful. Several times during the night, he awakened with the bed sheets scrunched up in his mouth to prevent himself from screaming and tears staining his face. Feeling he couldn't take it anymore at two 'o' clock the next morning, Harry gathered his books and homework and retreated to the common room with its dying fire. Harry prayed that doing homework and reading would take his mind of his nightmares.

Harry was scared that he would be punished by Snape for not following his demands but at that moment, he was more scared of the remembered punishments Vernon had inflicted on him circling in his mind. The small boy wondered if Snape had been punishing him after all and had just chosen and different way to do it than Vernon. He then wondered if he would survive carrying out Snape's demands and what the man would do when he found out he had disobeyed.

It was not going to be a good week for Harry.

XXX

Flying class was something Harry was both looking forward to and dreading. The first years were to get their first lesson on handling a broom that day and were making their way outside into the cold September afternoon. Most were chatting loudly and excitedly about flying and Quidditch. Harry was walking between Hermione and Neville as they made their way down to the field. Hermione was grumbling about heights and out dated modes of transportation while Neville was looking a bit green in the face from fear. Harry shivered as the wind blew right through him.

While he thought flying may be fun even if he wasn't every good at it, he was worried about falling off the broom because he was so weak. For the last few days, he had been trying to follow his Head of House's demands and feeling the man's gaze on him at all times in the great hall. He had thrown up a lot of the meals his Head of House had put on his plate, only managing to keep down a few rolls he stored in his cloak from lunch which he had consumed later. Harry had also been getting little sleep, only catching snatches of it during nightmares and in the armchair in the common room. Harry was now worried that while he wasn't afraid of heights he wouldn't be able to grip the broom hard enough to prevent falling off if there was an accident, thinking of this fear started swelling in his chest.

So far the lesson had gone well, there were the usual comments from Malfoy but Harry had already had years of practice ignoring Dudley so ignoring the blonde boy and his cronies was no great effort. The flying instructor Madame Hooch had hawk like eyes and a slim compact build perfect for flying.

"Right, you lot!" she called, grabbing everyone's attention. All the first years had gathered and were standing in two lines next to a broom, growing colder by the second. "Stick your wand arm over the broom, palm down, then I want you to say in a clear commanding voice _'UP'_" Madame Hooch's own broom, which had been lying on the floor jumped into her hand. Several students gasped; Malfoy muttered about mudbloods and then feel silent. "Well, get to it."

Looking at his broom and sharing a nervous glance with Neville who was opposite him, Harry held his hand out and in a quite but steady voice did as instructed.

"Up" the broom jumped into his hand to Harry's great surprise and Malfoy's anger. Looking to Neville, he was just in time to see him scream as his own broom came up to smack him in the face. There were snickers all around and Harry shot Neville a concerned look. A shy smile was returned and Harry relaxed knowing that the other boy was ok.

When everyone had their broom in hand though Hermione was holding it as far away from herself as possible, Madame Hooch continued the lesson.

"Mount you brooms as so," she demonstrated with her own broom what she expected them to do. The class followed her lead. "Now on the count of three I want you to gently push of the ground and _hover _in the air. One, two..."

In his nervousness, Neville accidently pushed off hard on the count of two. He was sent quickly spiralling into the air but having no control or proper grip on the broom was quick to fall to the ground again. The class watched in amusement but several winced when they heard a squelch and crack on landing. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins except Harry were laughing the hardest but the Gryffindors were also snickering at their house mates misfortune.

"Stupid boy!" screamed Madame Hooch. Ignoring the less than competent teacher, she should have been able to stop the fall with a simply cushioning charm if what he read in his school books had been correct, Harry rushed to the brown haired boy's side to see if he was okay. The teacher arrived a second later and in a bored tone announced, "Broken wrist; needs to go the infirmary so Poppy can patch him up. Can you stand boy?"

Neville grounded but nodded and slowly got to his feet, cradling his broken wrist to his chest.

"Right, up we go then. Follow me."

"P-Please m-miss" said Harry gathering up as much courage as he could to talk to the teacher, "c-could I g-go with h-him." Harry held his breath; sure he would be smacked for making such a request. Instead the teacher barely gave him a glance before waving her hand nonchalantly. "Yes alright, get your stuff and come along. Grab Mr. Longbottom's too." Harry raced to do as he was told, ignoring the sneers from the Slytherins. Gathering both his and Neville's stuff, he saw sparkles from within the grass near were Neville had fallen. Seeing a glass object on the floor Harry was quick to notice Malfoy staring at it with a familiar glint in his eye. It was the same glint Dudley got when he was thinking of bullying someone, Harry quickly swiped it and placed it in his pocket. If it was Neville's, he would give it to him. If it was someone else's, he could always hand it to a teacher.

"THE REST OF YOU LISTEN UP!" the messy haired boy jumped a foot into the air at the loud shout and had to stop himself from taking several steps backwards from Madame Hooch. "I don't want to see anyone flying while I'm gone. If anyone disobeys, I'll have you suspended. Come along Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom."

With that, both Harry and Neville walked off the grounds and into the castle following the teacher. Once in the infirmary, Harry opted to stay with Neville a while despite Madame Pophrey's displeasure. The other boy gave a grateful smile to his friend for missing flying for him as his wrist mended. The two boys spent the next hour talking about school while Harry told Neville everything about the muggle world that wasn't to do with his relatives and Neville told story after story about his mad Uncle Algie.

XXX

The field was quiet for a minute as they watched the door of the castle bang shut as Madame Hooch and two students left. The silence did not last.

"What a pathetic cry baby" chortled Malfoy gleefully to the other Slytherins, bring all eyes to rest on him. "Longbottom's such a squib he can't even fly a broom properly!" around the blonde the Slytherins snickered and laughed.

"You leave Neville alone," defended Hermione, not about to let an insult to her friend slip by. The first year Slytherins turned on her. The other Gryffindors watched on with undisguised interest. None deciding to jump in to help defend their house mates.

"What's it to you mudblood," sneered the blonde. The other Slytherins laughed at the insult. Hermione didn't let it offend her. "Sticking up for the squib are we. Well, your lot does have to stick together. My father said that he has tried petitioning the governors every year to stop filth like you entering Hogwarts, you dirty muggle."

Hermione stiffened at the snickers from the other Slytherins, feeling the hurt well up in her, but she was used to insults from her class mates and she knew how to cope with their cruel words.

"If I remember correctly Malfoy, my dirty blood has managed to perform just as much magic in class as you have." Hermione knew that was score for her when she saw Malfoy stiffen and sneer at the truth of the statement.

Not knowing what else to do, considering that the bushy haired girl was absolutely right and all of his class mates knew it, the blonde boy decided to bring all attention on him again by showing off.

"Oh yeah mudblood? Well, I don't see you being able to fly a broom like a proper pureblood." That being said the Malfoy heir mounted his broom and pushed off several feet into the air. He could here many of the student shouting at him to get down and some wondering if they should join him. Smirking down at them, he turned to Hermione and was angry when he see her looking far from impressed with her arms folded in front of her. "Well come on mudblood, can't you do it? Or is the only magic you can do learnt from books."

"Don't be stupid Malfoy, I'm not about to follow you and have a chance of getting myself suspended. You heard the teacher, unless you want to be in trouble you better get down."

"Ha, show what you know mudblood, my father would never let me get suspended. I bet he'll talk to Professor Snape and Dumbledore and into letting me on the team when they see how great I am at flying."

Hermione huffed and raised one unimpressed eyebrow before turning and ignoring the blonde boy and his lame insults. Biting her lip in worry about Neville and Harry, she didn't notice the blonde boys look turn from one of triumph to one of anger at being ignored. The spoiled heir was used to all attention being on him and decided that the mudblood needed to be taught a lesson not to ignore her superiors.

Gaining height, he flew quickly into the air above his class mates and did a quick circle, revelling in the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' of his classmates. Smirking down at the still distracted Hermione, he did a quick turn and headed straight for the bushy haired girl at high speed. _Time to scare the mudblood a bit._

Malfoy never got the chance to put the 'mudblood' in her place though as a sharp voice rang out across the felid and brought him up short.

"_Mr. Malfoy!_ Cease flying this instant!" Professor McGonagall's voice caused all the first years to jump and the blonde to freeze where he was. His mood was quickly dropping to one of dread and irritation as he saw the woman approach. His father would never let anything happen to him so he wasn't worried about punishment. That was a mistake.

Demounting his broom Mafloy stood stiffly, imitating his farther and trying to look confident and intimidating. In the end, he just looked constipated.

"What do you think you were doing young man and where is Madame Hooch?"

"Professor McGonagall, Madame Hooch has gone with Neville and Harry to the infirmary as Neville injured his wrist." Answered Hermione promptly when no one else appeared willing to do so.

Glaring at the know it all, Malfoy sneered. "Shut it mudblood, she asked me not you" he snapped.

"Mr. Malfoy!" exclaimed the animagus outraged that one of her Lions would be insulted so terribly in front of her. Oh, she was going to have fun wiping the smirk of the spoiled brats face. "Twenty point from Slytherin for bad language!" Malfoy and the other student gapped at her. Twenty points off for an insult! "And another fifty for disobeying a teacher in such a dangerous manner and flying without permission. I am sure Madame Hooch told you to stay on the ground when she left." The blondes face grew pink with anger and humiliation. What were the older Slytheirns going to think when they heard he had lost them seventy house points? "You can also serve detention with Filch tonight and tomorrow night at seven, maybe a couple hours of scrubbing the trophy room with a toothbrush will teach you to have more respect and follow the rules."

"Yes, professor" ground out the Malfoy heir, still flushed in anger. He could hear the Gryffindors and some of the Slytherins snickering at his misfortune.

It was at that moment that Madame Hooch made an appearance, though there was less than half the lesson left. The head of Gryffindor quickly told her what had happened and as additional punishment the flying instructor made the blonde boy remain on the ground for the rest of the lesson as the others mounted and moved slowly into the air.

On the ground, head bowed in humiliation; Malfoy swore he would get his revenge. The best person to humiliate would be the mudblood, but she was a Gryffindor and too hard to target. No, he would get revenge on Potter and humiliate him instead. His father would appreciate that and it would get the other Slytherins to forget about the point loss. The mudblood would think twice about humiliating him if her precious friend got punished for it and he had just the plan in mind to humiliate his dark haired house mate. Nothing could possibly go wrong, he was sure; after all, he _was_ a Malfoy.

XXX

The best humiliation is one everyone knows about and Draco Malfoy knew this. That's why his revenge on Harry wasn't simply going to be to hurt him, though he was looking forward to that part tremendously. He was going to embarrass and disgrace the Boy-Who-Lived in front of people who could appreciate his plan and who mattered. That's why Malfoy was lying in wait with his two goons Crabb and Goyle, ready to grab Potter and lead him out onto the Quidditch pitch for the Quidditch trials. Embarrassing the golden boy in front of the older Slytherins would make sure that everyone would know what happened and would mean the his house mates gave him the credit and appreciation a Malfoy deserved. He was sure it would also please his father to know what he was doing to make up for his previous humiliation and could only hope it would appease him before he became too angry.

Harry was walking calmly through the dungeons on his way to the library from the common room. It was just after the last lesson on Friday and he and the two Gryffindors wanted to try and get most of their homework done together so that they could spend the weekend learning and practising other spells. There was just so much he didn't know about magic and so much to learn that even after a month in the magical school, the wonder of the new world still hadn't worn off.

What Harry was not expecting was to have his way blocked by the two hulking figures of Crabb and Goyle and have them surround him. Panic set in immediately and Harry tried to dodge as he would with Dudley and his gang but they already had him surrounded. As the black haired boy prepared for the beating he was sure he was going to receive from Malfoy and his gang he cursed himself for letting his guard down against these kind of attacks. Just because he was in a different school and a whole different world didn't mean there wouldn't always be bullies. Harry had always been a prime target for bullies.

The green eyed boy was right to expect violence as Goyle landed a punch to his almost nonexistent stomach that pushed all the wind out of him and left him breathless. He managed to stay on his feet though and turn slightly to the side so that the other boy would have a clearer shot the second time.

"Don't bother; you'll be able to get him on the pitch. I want his punishment to be where everyone can see it, not in some dark little corridor. Bring him along." That was Malfoy and of course the two goons obeyed their leader's orders without a second word. They picked Harry up bodily by the shoulders, though they made sure to press hard enough to leave two decent sized hand prints on his bony shoulders.

_Punishment?_ Thought Harry. Only adults administered punishment at Privet Drive. Were they going to take him to a teacher? But they had said something about taking him to the pitch. What did that mean? Were the rules different in this world and people like Malfoy could punish him as well even though he wasn't an adult?

Caught up in his thoughts, Harry didn't pay attention to the halls he was hauled through. He brought himself back to the present when he felt the cool breeze on his face and found himself being lead outside from a side entrance to the castle. Getting more confused as to what was going on by the second, Harry only just realised that he was at the Quidditch pitch before he found himself being thrown to the muddy ground and staring at the many pairs of dragon hide boot covered feet of the Slytherin quidditch team.

"What is this Malfoy?" growled out the voice of prefect Flint from above Harry. Slowly, expecting a kick to the ribs while he was done, Harry got to his feet. Taking a quick glance, he could see Flint and some of the other Slytherins gathered for the Quidditch trials looking confused while others sneered and looked at him with excited cruel anticipation. Keeping his head down, Harry knew it was useless to run and wondered what they were going to do to him.

"Potter here wants to try out for the Quidditch team but was too shy to come on his own, weren't you Potter?" Harry could hear the smug satisfaction and cruel glee in Malfoy's voice without having to turn around and see it on his face. Harry stayed silent.

"Really, for some reason I don't think that's true. Maybe it's you Malfoy who was too scared to come here by yourself and try out. You do realise Malfoy that first years aren't allowed on the Quidditch team or has being outclassed by a muggle born Gryffindor damaged your brain?" Several people snickered as Malfoy turned red at his remembered humiliation by Granger and the stupid stunt he had pulled. Narrowing his eyes at the prefect, the blonde boy was just about to say something about his father when some of the older quidditch players butted in.

"Oh come on Flint. They may be firsties but they all deserve a chance. Maybe Potter here really does want to play. Why don't we find out?" a burly dark haired boy with large muscled arms that was broader than Flint chortled, beside him another boy, just as broad but with muddy brown hair also grinned.

Flint turned to them and hesitated. He knew Potter had been brought here by Malfoy though he didn't know why, probably to humiliate his flying skills and show himself off. He didn't want to put the boy on the broom but to do say so now would to be to make himself the enemy of several people here and bring him to the attention of people like luscious Malfoy. He couldn't try and help Potter and anyone else stay neutral or on the light side if he was lynched.

Before Flint could even think of coming up with something sly enough to say that would get Potter of the hook but leave him clean and dry, a broom had been placed in the unresisting boys hands and he had been jostled into roughly mounting it.

"We can't test your flying skills if you aren't in the air Potter," shouted Mason the Slytherin beater beside him who had given Potter a broom. Whipping out his wand, the boy sent a small reducto hex towards the first year. Eyes widening, Flint took out his own wand in an attempt to cast a shield quick enough around the small boy but already knew it was too late. He didn't have to worry about the curse hitting Harry though as whether through fear or through instinct, the green eyed boy had pushed off from the ground the minute he heard the first syllable for the spell he recognised as a blasting hex and soared quickly straight up into the air in the hopes of getting out of the rang of fire.

"Huh, so little Potty can at least get off the ground," Derk, the other beater for Slytherin with the muddy brown hair said with a cruel laugh.

"What the hell are you playing at Mason, do you know how much trouble you would have been in if that curse hit?" shouted Flint, now truly afraid of what his housemates and the Malfoy boy were planning. While the rest of the team and the other gathered Slytherins were looking confused or amused by the proceedings, the two beaters, Malfoy and his goons were looking positively gleeful. Flint was getting a bad feeling.

"Lay of it Flint, the firsty moved didn't he? Now, we just have to see how good he is." With another sadistic laugh, Mason handed brooms and bats to Malfoy and his pals and in the next heartbeat, all four where in the air. Beside him, Derk kicked open the Quidditch practice box and unclipped the four practice bludgers.

The demented balls soared into the air, following the other flyers that were now circling the smallest dot in the sky. Not liking where this is going and realising that all of the boys were going to ignore his authority, Flint tapped his prefect badge twice using it to summon his head of house and hoped the man would get there in time before something truly bad happened to young Potter. Mounting his own broom he soared into the air, hoping he could talk or threaten the rest of the Slytherins onto returning to the ground but he could already see the first bludger being hit by Mason while a second was hit by Derk, and both balls went hurtling towards the small black haired Slytherin from different directions. Flint changed his mission into catching the Potter boy when the bludgers hit and just hopped he could get beneath him in time.

Harry's terror was momentarily forgotten as he said into the air. The feel of flying was so freeing and up lifting. He had enough strength, just, to grip the broom properly and adrenalin further fuelled his strength. The wind blew harsh against his face the further from the ground he got but he couldn't bring himself to care about the sting it caused against his cheeks as the windswept him away and further up into the sky. His wonder was clouded by terror yet again though as he felt several shadows fall across him and saw his house mated joining him in the sky. All of them had gleeful sadistic smirks on their faces and the glint in their eyes that promised they were going to do their up most to cause Harry pain. Seeing the bats in their hands, he wondered if they were going to beat him with them when he saw his first glimpse of the manic flying balls in the air just before one of the large Slytherins used the bat to send it speeding at terrifying speed towards him. Harry didn't need to know what those balls were to know that if it hit him it was going to _hurt._

On instinct, he shifted his weight and spun upside down on his broom, sending the bludger through the air where his head had just been. Feeling like he was in the playground again at Surrey primary and dodging rocks thrown by his cousin and his gang, the small Slytherin sensed the other incoming projectile behind him that was heading for his broom and did the first thing that came to mind.

Repositioning in less than a second, Harry seemed to start dropping out of the sky, the bludger missed buy several feet as Harry utilised gravity to its fullest potential to avoid the incoming missile. Speed and manoeuvrability was the name of the game when avoiding bullies and their projectiles and Harry knew this. He was also better at it than most on the ground but in the air, even with the fear gripping his chest, he felt a thrill of excitement as he whipped though the sky and was buffeted by the wind while adrenalin pumped strength into his body, allowing him to grip the broom and manoeuvre it to the fullest.

Flint almost felt his jaw drop in surprise as the inevitable impact between bludger and skull didn't happen as the small novice firsty execute a perfect stationary roll and then proved that he had some kind of eyes in the back of his head as he out manoeuvred the other one by dropping into a perfect high speed drive.

It seemed the other Slytherins in the air were just as surprised as he was and their moment of shocked hesitation gave Potter a second to put some needed distance between him and the other students. The other Slytherins, once they got over their shock were quick to anger and started using all four bludgers and their own flying skills to pursue the small boy. The quidditch field was soon descending into a very deadly and very unfair game of cat and mouse. What the hell was taking Professor Snape so long?

Harry was having some mixed emotions as he dodged, weaved, spun, dived, leapt and danced across the sky on the broom while all the while the other players pursued him and bludgers went whistling past through the air he had previously occupied not a second ago. On the one hand, he was absolutely terrified and was flying for his life or at least his uninjured limbs; on the other hand he had never done anything more exhilarating, even learning new spells and magic weren't as awe inspiring and brilliant as flying a broom was.

Feeling the other players getting closer Harry lay flat and urged the broom to go faster, pushing it beyond the speed and tatty old school broom should be able to go. The bludger sailed past his left shoulder. Stopping the broom suddenly, Harry allowed two of the demented balls to impact each other in the air he would have been if he hadn't ceased his movement. The other Slytherin flyers were so surprised by the sudden halt that they flew straight past the small first year. Taking his chance to gain some distance Harry plunged the broom into a straight dive before spinning up above the ground and sweeping of in the opposite direction. The burly beaters tried to follow while the other first years were too inexperienced on the brooms to make the fast turns the large sixth years were too heavy and bulky to have enough manoeuvrability to keep up.

Now with several broom lengths between him and his pursuers, the small green eyed boy looked around, trying to find a sheltered spot where he could land or a quick way off the pitch. If he got to the castle, the other boys would be forced to give up but to go over the stands he would have to fly up and would be more likely to be impacted by one of the bludgers as the move would force him to lose speed.

Dogging the third bludger, Harry shifted his weight to move into a barrel roll when the angry voice of his head of house boomed out across the pitch.

"_POTTER!" _the livid Severus Snape called out. He had been half way through using his personal time after lessons to try a new potion he had just come up with when the alarm had sounded in his ears indicating that one of his Slytherin prefects were calling him. Using the tracking charm he had placed on the badges, he had followed the charm and found it was coming from prefect Flint on the Quidditch pitch.

Immediately, he had vanished the potion and used his long strides to hurry to the place of alarm. His prefects knew not to call upon him unless it was urgent when he had been stopped by the headmaster. The infuriating man had the habit of showing up at the worst possible times. The old man had forced him to listen to some twaddle or another before he could escape and hurry onto the quidditch pitch. What did he find when he got there. Draco bloody Malfoy and his older Slytherin beater playing cat and mouse with Harry bloody Potter. Honestly, how was he to keep the boy safe and alive if he continued to get himself into these situations?

In his anger, Snape had snapped at the boy. He realised his mistake a second later.

The shouting of the angry potions master stopped Harry in pure fright. That one second of ceased movement was all it took for the fourth bludger to meet its target at last and impact into his left shoulder. Hard.

The black haired boy's eyes widened in pain before he was flung forcefully from the broom and to the ground below. Both he and the now lifeless bit of wood and bristles plummeted to the ground from several feet up. Shouts of surprise and fear from sounded from the ground. The bit of fun and amusement the Slytherins had been getting from watching the small first out fly the bludgers suddenly didn't seem so fun anymore.

Snape was the first to react when he saw the body falling. Before anyone could blink his wand was in his hand and he was running towards the fallen boy while repeatedly casting a cushioning charm on the ground where he was sure Harry would impact. Seconds behind him, some of the other Slytherins moved to help but by then it was a bit too late.

Knowing that his cushioning charms would not be enough for the speed and height from which Harry was falling, the potions master just hoped it would be enough to stop the boy from breaking his neck.

They say when you are about to die that your life flashed before your eyes. This did not happen to Harry, who had no wish to remember the life he had lived other than his brief stay in Hogwarts castle. What happened to Harry in those few seconds of falling is that a strange calm took over, as it had first done when he was lifted into the air. Then the anger came, fuelled by fear and the resentment that had built up in the small eleven year old at the unfairness of his life. Along with this, came the pure stubborn will to survive from someone who at many times in his life could have chosen to just lie down and not wake up the next day.

Harry only knew one thing in that second and that was that He. Was. Not. Going. To. Die.

The small boy had only just started enjoying his life and nothing as pitiful as gravity and the laws of physics was going to take that away from him.

So he did the only thing he could do, gathers all his anger and using his pure stubbornness told the falling to STOP.

And so he did.

Snape, being the closest to the boy at the time felt the wave of released magical power and couldn't stop himself from gasping at the shear strength of it. He then had to stop his jaw from dropping when he saw just who had realised such power and what it was being used to do.

There in the air, still with his arms flung upwards and his back facing the ground as he stared up at the sky was Harry. Only he wasn't moving anymore.

It was almost like he was frozen in time and Snape worried for a moment that this was precisely true until he saw the boy blink. Looking like he had all the time in the world, the messy haired boy manoeuvred his limbs until he was sitting in a comfortable crossed leg position, looking for the world that it was a perfectly normal day. The illusion of normal was shattered thought when you noticed that he was sitting on thin air several feet above the ground with no apparent difficulty.

The strange calm had descended again and Harry decided that he quite liked floating in the air like this. He was sure it he wanted to he could make himself rise with no effort but for the time being he had no such impulse and simply allowed himself to bask in the calmness that had overcome him before the anger came back.

Beside him, the broom upon which he had been flying for the past ten minutes finished its quick decent to the ground and splintered into several pieces with a sickening crack.

That was enough to bring the anger back. Casting his gaze upwards, Harry was about to let the anger that had consumed him guide his magic and vanish the brooms of those that had been pursuing him.

Above him, still hovering in disbelief on their brooms all five boys shivered as they felt the first tendrils of blazing rage filled magic reach out to them. The younger years, not understanding what was going on just gasped and tried to back away. The older years, knowing full well what the feeling was feared for their lives and held their breaths in terror.

He was so close to doing it, so, so close and he knew it, but he didn't do it. something fundamental in his being stopped him from vanishing the boys brooms from underneath them despite his raging fury and all he did was hold them for a moment as he worked to bring the magic back. Harry may have decided to spare the other Slytherins for the moment but the anger and the rage at the unfairness of his life was still swirling within him and he knew that as much as not killing those boys at the moment was part of his being so was the raw emotion swirling through him and with his magic being powered by the anger within him he needed a target to release it on or the pressure of holding it in would get to him.

Luckily for Harry, his anger and magic found the perfect target. At that moment, one of the still renegade bludgers decided that the small, not moving person flying on the pitch was the perfect target.

The green eyed boy sensed the incoming projectile and he released the rage he had previously been trying to temper. The magic lashed out, carrying with it a large portion of the anger and resentment swirling within the young boy.

The bludger exploded.

Actually, it was more likely the bludger stopped moving, glowed red for a brief second before being compressed on every side and with an almighty bang disintegrating into a shower of smocking, burnt smelling dust that slowly floated down to the ground.

All of what had just happened; from the moment Harry's accidental magic was released happened in only a few seconds. It was not a few seconds' people were likely to forget.

Suddenly, with most of his anger gone, Harry felt tired, though his magic continued to hold him and the calmness continued to fend off the fear he would have otherwise been feeling. Unaware of the world or people around him, Harry allowed the calmness to guide him and floated the few feet to the ground before unfolding his legs and walking on the solid earth like most people.

Almost in a zombie like state, the messy haired boy walked past his still staring head of house, past the Slytherins who gave him a wide birth and out of the quidditch pitch. A detached part of Harry noticed the castle looming in the distance and headed towards it. Only when he was deep within its walls, did the calmness leave him and all that he had done and all that he had felt fully impact him.

It was only then that Harry noticed that he was in Salazar's corridor and that snakes were gathering on the walls and above his head and under his feet in worry. It was only then that the full impact of what had happened to him, what he had done and what he had felt impacted on the small boy.

It was only then that Harry Potter allowed himself to fall to the ground, with his arms wrapped around him in a poor substitution for a comforting hug, as he began to shake and tears began to pour from his eyes down his face and sobs began to escape from his dried, cracked lips.

And it was only then that Harry allowed the other emotions the calmness had fended off and the weariness in his bones to claim him.

It was only then that he slept.


	5. Chapter 9

**D****isclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Sorry, sorry, sorry for the wait. I lost the inspiration for the story and so started another one until I got it back and then things in the real world started pilling up and I didn't have time to write.

Again sorry for the wait. I will try to update more regularly but I make no promises.

Please review, I know I don't deserve it but it may inspire me to write more, more quickly.

Special thanks to my very patient beta cara-tanaka.

Sorry for the babbling.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 9**

Severus Snape wasn't quite sure what had just happened to the Potter boy but he knew that he was unlikely to ever forget what he had just seen and felt. The pure power rolling of the boy was startling, even if it was fuelled by the most basic human survival instinct. The contained rage blazing through the magic was not something forgettable and the potions master shivered at the intensity of the feeling.

As surprised and overwhelmed by the angry magic as he was, Severus Snape had spent most of his life in the presence of dark wizards and Lord Voldemort so was quick to move past his own feelings about Potter and return to sorting out the situation.

When that happened, the Slytherin's on the ground around him had to take a step back from his own anger pouring out of him through his magic. Looking up into the air with an expression that would have made a gargoyle crack in fear, Snape set his sites on the Slytherin's still in the air.

Feeling the impending doom, the still flying boys shivered.

"Get. Down. Here. _NOW!" _it was more a roar than anything else as the anger poured out of the dark man. Despite this, the six boys in the air understood impeccably and quickly dropped hurriedly to the ground in front of their Head of House.

Malfoy wasn't the only one shaking in his boots, though he hid his fear the worst. Despite the rage rolling of the man in front of him and his own shaking knees, the arrogant Malfoy heir still believed that he would not be punished to badly for his stunt.

The other boys were not so naïve.

"Will someone please explain what is going on here?" Snape grounded out through gritted teeth. Making a conscious effort to control his anger until it could be released on the right target. No one answered him. "Prefect Flint, explain what you were doing flying in the air? What these first years were doing with brooms and bats? And why a first year was being used as target practice! If I find out you played a part in any of this, you will not like the consequences!")

"Sorry sir, no sir. This lot" he nervously blurted out, while gesturing to Malfoy and his crew, "dragged Potter here against his will and said he wanted to try out for the team."

"And why, pray tell me, did you allow him on a broom when as you said, he was here against his will!"

"I-I didn't sir. Derk and Mason gave him and the other firsty's a broom and bats and sent a _reducto_ at Potter to get him into the air."

Severus sucked in a breath. He knew exactly what a _reducto_ curse could do to a human body, even if it was a weak one, against someone as small and fragile as Harry the damage could be terrible. Turning his gaze to the burly Slytherins, he found them glaring angrily at Flint for betraying them but quailed under his gaze.

"Is. This. True?" Snape hissed sharply. The boys tried to stay quite and hold their tongue but the pure rage rolling off their Head of House frightened them into talking.

"It was all Malfoy's idea sir. He told us to do it. Said he would get Potter onto the pitch and to fire bludgers at him. We didn't want to do it but he made us!" shouted Derk, in an effort to save his own skin. Draco's already milky skin paled drastically as the older boy blabbed.

Snape sent a glare at the boy that truly frightened him and almost had him running to get away. Only his fear held him petrified to the spot. Severus decided to deal with the Malfoy brat later, after sufficiently scaring the beaters first.

"And tell me how a _first year_, who has only been here for a month could _make_ you do that?"

Mason looked to Derk worriedly and they both shut their mouths, feeling dread well up within them. There was nothing they could say to that. "I will ask one more time. Did you send a _reducto_ at Potter?"

Shaking under their Head of House's glare, Mason cracked. "Derk did it!" he cried, to the angry glare of his friend.

"Flint, is this true?" snapped Snape.

"Very true sir."

"I see…" There was a pause as all the boys and the collective Slytherins behind the potions master held their breath. Waiting to see who would be set upon next. "Mr. Malfoy please tell me _exactly_ what you were thinking when you came up with this stunt?"

"I-I t-thought…I-I…" the young Slytherin trailed of into scared silence as he realised he had nothing he could say against the accusations.

"So you five thought it would be fun to play cat and mouse with another first year student, using real bludgers, on a real broom, hundreds of feet above the ground, am I right?" There was no reply, everyone already knew the answer.

Malfoy, Crabb and Goyle were close to tears in fright and were shaking noticeably. The older beaters weren't faring much better. The only on who looked partly alright was Flint and that was only because he hadn't been set upon…yet.

"Prefect Flint, tell me you had no part in this and if you had no part in this, what you too were doing in the air?"

Flint gulped nervously, twice, before managing to move past the lump in his throat and answer the question.

"I flew up after Potter. I hoped to get beneath him if he fell. I wasn't expecting him to be any good on a broom and be able to dodge. It all moved to fast for me to catch up." He admitted truthfully and let out a silent sigh of relief when the onyx gaze turned from him back to the others.

"…All of you return to the dormitory. Flint, you may hold you try outs another day. You lot," Severus snapped, glaring at the five offenders. "Are going to accompany me to the headmaster's office. This is not something from which I can just take house points. A more sever punishment will be required."

All of the Slytherin's gasped as they heard their normally overly lenient and protective head of house threaten the offenders thinly with expulsion. For Potter!

Malfoy was the only one to voice his astonishment.

"You're going to punish us, for Potter!"

Snape paused, while he was incandescent with rage he was still a Slytherin to the core and he recognised what a show of protectiveness and concern for Potter could do to his reputation and his chances of living if the old death eater crowd heard from their newly enrolled children of his actions. He could make many enemies very quickly, but that still didn't mean he could let them go unpunished. Time to do what he normally did in these type of situations, lie through his teeth.

"I am under oath, Mr. Malfoy, as a teacher of Hogwarts to report any activities that clearly endanger a student's life. Since there is no way your actions can be seen as anything else but an attempt to seriously harm or kill Potter, I can do nothing but take you to see and report your actions to the headmaster." There, that sounded plausible, and he could see the light of understanding dawning in the more suspicious Slytherin's eyes. How were they to know that teachers weren't placed under oath for their duration of teaching?

"Come Mr. Malfoy. You four follow too! Mr Flint, get the rest of the Slytherin's back to their dorm and tell me if Potter re-emerges from wherever he is hiding when I am finished with this."

"Yes sir" said a nervous Flint, and immediately started shouting at the crowd to get them moving. Snape swept off, his robes flapping around him like great big bat wings, expecting the fearful students to follow. They did, but none had the courage to voice any more objections to where they were going.

The potions master snapped out the password to the overly ostentatious gargoyle and took the twirling steps two at a time. When he reached the heavy door of the headmaster's office, he allowed himself to pause for a fraction of a second and compose his features into an emotionless mask.

"Come in Severus" the Headmaster voice's wafted through the door, just as the dour man was about to knock. Not allowing the old man's all knowing attitude to annoy him as it normally would Snape swept in, the five student shuffling in behind him at a much slower pace, their heads bowed and looking like they were heading to their execution.

"Lemon drop, my boys" the headmaster offered with his normal benevolent smile.

Snape sneered, "Not now Headmaster, there has been an incident that involves these five and one other student."

The aged man slowly lowered his tin of lemon drops at the head of Slytherin house sever tone. It had to be serious of Severus was willing to punish his own students. Losing some of his twinkle and grandfatherly smile he gravely stated. "What incident would this be Severus?"

"Allow me to tell you…"

XXX

Forty five long minutes later and Snape was once again storming down the corridors of Hogwarts like an over grown bat, angry and frustrated. The Headmaster had listened to what he had seen and learned of the incident growing older by the second. Once he finished, the aged wizard had questioned the students in much the same way he had and had received the same answers. It looked for a moment that the Headmaster may have been thinking of letting the boys off with a warning and Snape had bristled at the prospect.

The Headmaster may not have seen the need to protect him from attempts on his life in his earlier years but Snape would not allow him to do the same to another student, not even the Potter brat. However, even the Headmaster could not deny that what the boys had done had been deliberately cruel with the intention to either kill or at least viciously harm Harry and it appeared Dumbledore had learned from his mistakes.

The Headmaster had expelled both of the older beaters and been forced to call not only their parents but also the Aurors to report the incident as both boys were of age. There had been much screaming and denial from the parents but eventually the expulsion stood and the Aurors had lead the boys away with their parents to question them further. It had then been time to contact Malfoy and Co.'s parents.

That was where it all went downhill.

The Malfoy's, Goyle's and Crabb's were all old families and while the Goyle's and Crabb's had lost not only most of their wealth and all their political power, Lucius Malfoy had both in spades. The conversation between Lucius Malfoy and the Headmaster would be one Snape would remember for years. Lucius had almost been foaming at the mouth by the end of it but eventually his position on the board of governors and the fact he had Minister Fudge in his back pocket allowed him to come out the victor. They could not expel Malfoy and his goons.

The repercussions for the school would be too much and it would bring far too much publicity to the incident. What would the wizarding public do if they found out their saviour had almost died at a school that was supposedly meant to be one of the safest places in Britain? No matter that the Boy-Who-Lived was in Slytherin, both Snape and Dumbledore had no doubt that a well worded press article would have the public's fickle opinion swaying once again and the boy would once again become their saviour.

That, of course, didn't stop the Headmaster from punishing the boys for the incident afterwards. Confining Malfoy and his goons to the classroom or common room and only allowing them out to get between classes was one of the harshest punishments Snape had seen the headmaster give out. Add to that, the four months of detention every night with Filch and other various teachers and the boys should be off Potter's back for a while.

Now if only he could find the blasted boy and tell him so, he could stop his rampaging down the corridors.

After a quick check in with Flint in the Slytherin common room, the prefect had reported to him that Potter had not returned to his dormitory and was no where to be found in the dungeons. Just bloody brilliant! Now Snape was sweeping through the school looking for the small eleven year old and getting more frustrated by the minute when his point me spell told him to go down yet _another_ corridor. What was worse, he could swear the blasted spell was sending him around in circles. _Where was Potter?_

XXX

Salazar watched from his place hidden in the stones of Hogwarts as the potions master passed by for the third time. He was contemplating letting the man in but he had to be sure he wouldn't hurt the small sleeping boy that was currently hidden within his corridor. The castle had alerted him immediately when the young Slytherin had entered his corridor and broken down in to tears and his beloved snakes were not far behind in informing him. However, by the time he got there the boy had already collapsed into a deep sleep, exhausted from his show of magic and from the sheer rollercoaster of emotions he had felt.

It was at those times that Salazar cursed what he was. He had a more varied and better existence than a portrait, considering he could travel anywhere in the stone and could actually learn from what went on around him, rather than just retaining information like a normal portrait but he still wasn't the real Salazar Slytherin and he could not wake the child to comfort him, neither could he touch him in reassurance as he so wanted to. Seeing the incredibly small boy passed out with tear tracks still wet down his cheeks had made him both concerned and incredibly angry at whoever had caused his sadness.

Half an hour later, he had felt the tingle of magic that indicated someone was looking for the boy, worrying that it had been the people that had caused Harry's tears in the first place he had used the magic he commended in Hogwarts to seal off the corridor and waited. Now, he was watching as the potions master swept around the corner with swift steps and swore creatively under his breath in frustration.

He was certain that it hadn't been the man that caused Harry to cry but he had watched the potions master over the years, as he watched most of his house even though it shamed him in what it had become in recent years and he knew there was no love lost between the dour man and Harry's father and from what he had seen so far, that same hatred had extended to the son. Now, though the man was searching for the boy and Salazar could see he was getting more panicked and more concerned with every moment he did not find him.

Salazar made a decision, if the potions master tried to harm Harry, he always had the castle's magic to punish the man with. However, while he did not have the physical presence needed to comfort Harry, that didn't mean someone else couldn't.

With his decision made, Salazar dropped his barrier on the corridor just as Snape strode around the corner once again and melted into the stone work to observe unseen.

XXX

Snape halted in his tracks and looked intensely at his wand and then at the corridor it was pointing to. The corridor was unlit and shadowed but what caused Snape to pause was the feeling that it definitely hadn't been there the last time walked this way. Feeling suspicious, the head of Slytherin wondered for a moment if it was a trap or just a trick of the castle but the _point me_ spell was clear, Potter was in there.

Casting a quick _lumus, _Snape shielded his eyes as the wall scones all burst into bright light. For a moment, he could have sworn that swift shadows had danced across the stones before slipping into the cracks but then he saw the small messy haired body lying curled up on the floor with his back to the wall and didn't give it a second thought.

Rushing towards Potter, the potions master saw that the hall was a dead end. Quickly checking the boys breathing and pulse, he was glad to find that both were strong and regular, the boy was just asleep.

Seeing the now dried tear tracks on the thin boy's face, Snape concluded Potter had stumbled into the corridor and seeing it was a dead end, decided not to go any further and had sit down to cry before falling asleep.

Severus had a brief debate with himself on whether to wake the boy. He was certain that after the spectacle on the field that the boy would be suffering from exhaustion. However, he was not sure if the boy had suffered any other injuries on the pitch and knew he should take him to Poppy to at least be checked. However, he was not prepared to carry the boy all that way and decided to gently wake him up.

Maybe if he explained straight away about Malfoy's lack of expulsion and reason for it, the boy would not feel as betrayed as he once had.

That thought caused him to pause and with a twisting feeling in his gut and a feeling of dread, he realised that he sounded like he-Merlin forbid-_cared_ for the brat. Shaking his head quickly to rid himself of the disturbing thought, Snape shook the boy by the shoulder, noticing with disgust at himself that his grip was a lot more gentle that normal.

"Potter, open you eyes boy. If you do not obey me this instant and wake up, I shall have you cleaning cauldrons with your tooth brush!" Well, at least his voice hadn't changed and the threats seemed to be working or maybe it was the constant shaking. Either way, the boy was waking.

Green eyes opened slowly and were at first foggy with confusion. However, the looming presence of Severus Snape not a foot away from you was hard to ignore and was enough to wake Harry up in a flash.

"Sir!" He cried as he sprung upright into a sitting position and pressed his back against the stone behind him to put some space between him and the large professor. What was he doing? He could remember the pitch and then vaguely remember causing himself to float and blowing up the bludger. And then….and then he ran into the castle, collapsed in a corridor and cried. He must have fallen asleep and the professor came to find him to tell him off for ruining the bludger and flying around on a broom and all sorts of other things Harry was sure he had done wrong while the magic had been raging through him. Oh, he was going to get it! They might even send him back to the Dursley's. What if they used spells to punish you at Hogwarts?

With even more mounting horror, Harry realised that the stretched feeling on his cheeks was cause by his dried tears and quickly tried to wipe the evidence away, already knowing it was useless as the professor was sure to have seen them. He was really in for it now. Vernon always doubled his punishments if he cried, telling him that boys never cried and that freaks had no right to. He was sure the professor would do the same.

Snape watched in shock as the boy shot upright and almost gave him a heart attack in the process. The green eyes widened more with each second and his breathing started coming in short gasps as Potter tried to press himself into the stone behind him. Snape then continued to watch, with no clue what was going through that messy head as the boy started to scrub almost franticly at his face.

Realising that the boy would end up hurting himself if he kept clawing at his face like that, he grabbed the abnormally thin wrists with both of his large hands.

"Potter stop that this instant!" he snapped, ceasing the boy's movement. Green eyes stared at him, wide behind the hideously round glasses. Potter tried to press himself even further into the stone work and quickly turned his head away.

Harry flung his gaze away the moment he realised he was looking at his Head of House in the eye and hoped that his punishment wouldn't be increased to much for such a show of disrespect. Thinking that if he got an apology in now the professor may go easy on him he franticly opened his mouth to explain.

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to fall asleep in the corridor, it won't happen again sir. I didn't mean to fly on a broom, honest sir. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about destroying that flying ball thing and the broom; I'll buy a new one I swear sir! And I didn't mean to be rude sir! And I'll try not to embarrass you anymore sir" babbled Harry, thinking the man may be embarrassed to have one of his house sleeping out in the corridor and getting into so much trouble.

Snape's head spun as he tried to process what the boy was saying. Coming to the conclusion that the boy was just babbling in nervousness about a pile of made up offenses. Trying to stop the inane chatter, he snapped at the boy once again.

"Be quiet Potter and let me speak!" the boys eyes widened again, though he didn't look him in the eyes this time.

"Sorry sir!" he squeaked out in fright and then fell silent. Sighing in exhaustion and gently realising the boy's wrists, which he clasped in fright in his lap. Snape uncurled from his crouched position on his knees and settled down more comfortably on the floor. He didn't really want to have this conversation sitting on the cold stone floor but decided Potter needed some peace of mind before he could take him to the hospital wing. By the lack of complaining, he assumed the boy wasn't in pain. Maybe a trip to the hospital wing wasn't needed. If he took the boy in the state he was in now, Poppy was sure to think he had done something to the brat to upset him so much. Bloody mediwitch, always jumping to conclusions.

"Potter…" Snape started uncertainly. Having no experience on how to comfort frightened children. Normally, it was _he_ they were running in fright from. "You have nothing to fear. I am not angry at you, I am not embarrassed." He said, wondering how the boy had come to that conclusion. "What you did considering the circumstances is completely understandable and acceptable. You didn't hurt anyone and you are not in trouble. I was merely trying to wake you to tell you it is time you returned to the common room and that the people that attacked you have been punished."

There, that sounded reassuring enough. He had told the boy he had nothing to fear, wasn't going to be punished and that the people who hurt him wouldn't hurt him again.

So why was the boy starting at him with the same wide eyed look and disbelief plain in his eyes? Did he have to use even smaller words for the boy to understand the concept that he wasn't going to be punished? Snape wasn't sure how that was possible.

"But…But…" annoyed with the boy's babbling and his own discomfort at the entire situation Snape lost his patience and resorted to what he was used to doing. Insulting people's intelligence.

"For Merlin's sake Potter. Did you hit your head with one of the bludgers or are you naturally this slow? You are not going to be punished, you did nothing wrong and the two older boys who attacked you have been expelled while Mr. Malfoy and his group are serving a severe punishment. What they did is wrong! If you can understand even that simple concept!"

Harry jumped, that sounded like Professor Snape alright! But if what he said was true then that meant the people who hurt him had actually been punished! Someone had been punished because they hurt _him_! Someone had been _expelled_ because of what they did to him!

The thought was so new to Harry that he had to repeat it several times to make it stick and even then he was sceptical that it was the truth. Opening his mouth to ask his Head of House if it was really true, Harry took one quick look at the mans face and changed his mind, closing his mouth with a snap.

What if it was true? Harry marvelled at the potions master, who got more uncomfortable by the second. Had Snape punished the people because he cared about him? Little Harry, the freak? The thought was almost outrageous. Almost.

Clearing his throat uncomfortably and quickly sweeping to his feet, Snape turned to walk back along the hall. "Come Potter. It is time you returned to the dormitory, you may sleep there. You are lucky it is Sunday tomorrow so you won't be in trouble if you sleep in. I trust we do not need to make a trip to the hospital wing for any injuries you may have sustained during your flight?"

That snapped Harry out of it and he quickly clambered to his feet while shaking his head negatively erratically. He couldn't allow them to check for injuries. If they did that, they would see what Uncle Vernon did to him and then the Dursley's would find out he told and he would be punished worse than ever. The Dursley's had made it clear that the only offence worse to them than 'freaky stuff' happening was someone finding out how he was punished for being a freak. Harry didn't really understand it but he wasn't about to disobey.

"Then come along boy" and Harry had to trot to keep up with his Head of House's longer strides as they walked down and out of the hallway.

From within the stone work, Salazar smiled. Maybe the hate of the father didn't stretch as far as he had thought. Certain that the boy would be looked after, Salazar drifted off further within the castle.

If anyone who knew Snape well saw him walking down the corridors of Hogwarts with little Harry Potter trotting along at his side in an effort to keep up, they would have been able to tell that he was highly uncomfortable.

Severus couldn't help thinking just how small the boy was as he tried to keep up or where his thoughts had been wandering in regards to the boy…er, brat…that is what he was! A snot nosed little brat! A very little brat with an astounding amount of power at his disposable. In the privacy of his own mind, Snape raved and then sighed in resignation. Would the brat give him even a moment's peace this year?

The walk to the dormitory was long but neither student nor teacher felt the need to talk. Pushing Potter into the dormitory quickly and sweeping away, Snape decided that an evening of grading mind numbing student essays was just what he needed to get these disturbing thoughts out of his head.

XXX

Standing in the door way of the common room, Harry was acutely aware that everyone's eyes in the common room were on him, just like when he was first sorted. Ducking his head and walking quickly towards the dormitory stairs, he was stopped by none other that Draco Malfoy and his two goons standing in his way.

Harry only glanced up and stopped moving, waiting for whatever it was they had to say.

Malfoy sneered in a poor imitation of his father and ended up just looking cute than intimidating. His voice was filled with obvious anger. "Where do you think your going Potter?"

"The dorm" Harry answered quietly but loudly enough for the mostly silent common room to hear.

Malfoy sneered again and scrunched up his nose. Looking rather like a pink piglet. Harry didn't think this was the most opportune time to point this out though. "I don't think so Potter. Thanks to you, I'm on restriction and have four months of detention! You better not think of coming to the dorms tonight or you might be mysteriously hexed in your sleep."

With that parting shot, the very pink heir to the Malfoy line spun round and walked imperiously up the stairs to the dorm room.

Harry looked at him for a moment and then shrugged quite glad really. He didn't want to have to sleep in the bed anyway as it would only give him nightmares. Seeing that his favourite arm chair was free in the furthest corner of the room, the small boy quickly made his way over there and sunk into the soft leather. The book he had accidentally left on the side table next to it that morning was still there and untouched. Harry assumed that no one knew it was him who had borrowed it.

Picking up the book and thinking of reading some more before bed, Harry missed people losing interested in him and slowly going off in their groups to sleep. He missed when his fingers went slack and the words started to blur as he once again felt exhaustion creeping up on him. His last though before he fell asleep fully in the arm chair was if Hogwarts was really that better a place to be than Privet Drive and if he would ever see Severus Snape being gentle ever again.


	6. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Sorry, sorry. Sorry for the wait. Took me a while to get this finished and checked.

Thousands of thanks to my beta, who was willing to go through all my drivel and wait patiently for it.

Please review, I love hearing what you all think.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 10**

Life moved on after the incident in the magical school. The Slytherins avoided Harry afterwards, mainly because of fear but also because they didn't want to bring themselves to the attention of their Head of House. They weren't quite sure why Snape had stood up for Potter apart from his apparent vow as a teacher to protect all the students of the school but no one wanted to be on the end of his wrath. It was fortunate for Harry that Slytherins were almost completely cut off from the rest of the school as no one other than those that were present had much, if any, idea what happened.

Malfoy even backed off for a while, after a stern threat from Snape to tell his father about his Gryffindorish behaviour. The young Malfoy heir did not want to face his father after his failed attempt to humiliate Potter. Thanks to this new animosity, the trouble that might have risen from Harry's continued friendship with the two Gryffindors, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger never happened. The trio were regarded with a wide berth from everyone else of all four houses, as no one wanted to be caught up in the house politics but with all three of the tri being unpopular in their own common rooms, they had no idea how thin the ice they were treading was.

Despite all this, life in Hogwarts was not improving for Harry. Of course he was thankful; to be left alone from the bulling and immensely grateful, but equally mystified, to have found such good friends but his Head of House was still hanging over him and despite Snape's best intentions his rules were only quickly making the boy worse.

All week Harry had been trying his best to do as his Head of House had said and sleep properly in his bed while being present and consuming the same amount as his housemates at each meal. The boy had quickly found that no matter what he did, he couldn't accomplish this. Every time he managed to fall asleep on the mattress in his bed, he would have horrific nightmares of how his uncle would punish him for such an act that left his anything but well rested. The horror of these dreams meant that most days he ended up only dozing lightly in the armchair in the common room. When he couldn't doze, he read.

Heavy bags hung under on his face as his green eyes became even duller from exhaustion. As ever though Harry hadn't wanted people to know of his shame and unconscious to even himself he had used much of his considerable power to cover them up with glamour charms. This left him struggling to manage even averagely in class.

It wasn't just sleep deprivation that the young boy was suffering from. While he had been attending all meals and eating more than normal, he quickly discovered that he couldn't eat anything near what his housemates were and the immensely rich meals served in Hogwarts were causing his stomach to rebel at such a sudden change in diet. This left Harry hastening from the hall just after the first people had left and had him emptying whatever he had just then put in his stomach in to the toilet not soon after.

This left Harry just as starved as he was previously but once again the boy, in his fear of angering his Head of House for disobeying his order and wasting food so blatantly had cast glamours over his face to disguise his grey skin and gaunt, shallow cheeks.

It wasn't surprising that it was only so long until Harry collapsed.

XXX

Sitting at the head table less than a week later and observing the messy haired boy ever so slowly place food in his mouth, Snape was once again feeling aggravated at himself for pondering about the boy. He had kept a close eye on the Potter boy for the last week, observing how he coped with the Quidditch incident and prepared to have to deal with another breakdown.

Severus was immensely grateful that it didn't come to that as he had been awkward enough the first time but the boy was still troubling him. This, as he saw it, intrusion in his life angered him enough to still be dismissive and sharp on the boy in class more than his other Slytherins but he could never quite bring up the same gleeful cruelty as he did in the first class with the brat.

As far as Snape could see, while the boy had recovered from the incident, it didn't seem to have opened up any doors for him in Slytherin. While his reports from Flint had confirmed that most Slytherins were either to wary of the boy or of himself to continue to pick on the brat, that didn't mean that any were willing to approach him. Even those who were not dark avoided the boy. Worried about their own standing and safety in the house with people like Lucius Malfoy's son living in the same space.

While this might have bothered any other eleven year old boy, it didn't seem to have an effect on the Boy-Who-Lived as despite his Slytherin status Severus had heard, much to his disbelief, that he had managed to find not one but two willing friends in Gryffindor, though he supposed it was to be expected that the years three biggest outcasts would clump together to form their own group.

On the plus side, the boy seemed to be following his orders to stay in bed and eat properly, thought Snape, as he observed the boy taking another painstakingly slow bite. Snape sneered condescendingly, did the blasted boy still think the food below the likes of him.

Swallowing his anger and Snape tried to turn back to his own meal, the boy would hopefully cause him no more trouble in the near future and he could rid his thoughts of the brat once again.

A second later, Snape was cursing for jinxing himself as he witnessed the boy drop his fork onto his plate and flee the hall at high speed.

XXX

Harry had been sitting in his normal seat at the far end of the Slytherin table nearest the door. When he first came in and saw exactly what they were having for dinner that night, he would have left right then and there if it wasn't for the imposing presence of his Head of House baring down on him.

It was meat, meat and more meat, all swimming in thick gravy with the only sides being root vegetables, again covered in gravy. To anyone else it would have been a spectacular feast of British flavour. To Harry, it was almost torture.

Bringing a small portion slowly to his mouth, Harry chewed a total of twenty times before swallowing. That wasn't so bad but after a week of this Harry knew it would quickly get worse the more he ate.

Maybe it was because of the extremely rich and heavy meal, maybe it was simply because his stomach could take it no more but after swallowing for maybe the thirtieth time, his stomach lurched uncontrollable and Harry could feel the food rush back up his throat. Horrified because he would be disobeying his Head of House and wasting food yet again as he had always been taught not to, the equal horror of actually throwing up in front of everyone won out and the messy haired boy fled the hall as quickly as he could. Slapping a hand over his mouth and clenching his teeth shut in an effort to get to the bathroom before expelling the meal he had just consumed.

His desperation driving him, Harry miraculously managed to reach the nearest bathroom before bursting in and throwing himself to his knees at the nearest toilet. Gripping the edges of the porcelain brim with his bony fingers, Harry finally expelled the content of his stomach.

The messy haired boy could feel his eyes start burning as they watered at the pain in his throat. Even though his stomach was once again empty, for some reason he couldn't stop heaving. The dry heaves were burning his throat and it felt like his whole body was turning into an inferno as sweat broke out across his brow and matted his hair.

It seemed the meal had been the last straw and his malnourishment, old wounds and lack of sleep had final caught up to him in one disastrous cocktail of fever and suffering.

Harry would have cried out if it wasn't for the fact he was still dry heaving horribly when he felt two large strong hands grab him by the shoulders and pull him back from the toilet. A hand then tilted his head back as he felt the cool relief of water being poured gently down his throat. The dry heaving stopped and the water continued to sooth his raw throat.

Gulping down the liquid, Harry let out a pitiful sounding cry as it was pulled away from his lips. Opening the eyes that he had closed in pure relief, Harry looked up to find out who had been kind enough to help him and felt a whole new wave of terror sweep through him when he ended up staring into the severe face of his head of house.

Severus's first reactions to seeing the messy haired brat flee the hall were to growl in annoyance and wring his skinny neck. The second was to wonder what was wrong and swiftly stand up and leave the hall himself. Though he left from the side door and made especially sure that he didn't run, just in case anyone got the wrong idea that he actually cared about the brat, because he didn't! Snape told himself sternly.

Using his long legs to stride quickly through the hall, Snape headed for the nearest boys bathroom. He had seen the brat slap his hand over his face just before leaving his sight in an effort to keep his stomach contents to himself.

While Snape was prepared to walk in on a puking boy, possibly already washing away his shame. He wasn't ready to walk in on the pitiful sight of the brat still bent over the porcelain bowl and harshly dry heaving.

Snape himself suppressed a wince as he listen to the raw sounds being brought forth from such a small form. Seeing as the boy didn't seem to be stopping any time soon and was getting worse, Snape quickly transfigured a spare quill within his robes into a simple cup and filled it with water from the sink.

Approaching the boy quickly, Snape used his free hand to grab the hunched shoulders and pull the boy back from the porcelain. Some fear entered the dour man as he felt just how terribly thin the boy was. Even through the robes and shirt, he could feel the shoulder was all bone and sinewy tendons.

While tilting the boy's head back and slowly allowing the water to trickle into the abused throat, Snape wondered how it was possibly for Potter to be so dangerously malnourished. Hadn't he seen the boy eating larger portions for the last few weeks? Why was he so underfed? Had he been coming here after every meal and throwing up just like this?

With a further sense of horror, Snape realised this could very well be true. He had assumed that the boy had thought himself to good for the food, not that it was actually making him violently sick. Was he allergic to something, or could he simply not stomach it? He knew the food at Hogwarts may be seen as very rich by some people but even then it shouldn't cause someone to throw up violently after every meal.

Snape was brought out of his rapid thoughts as he realised the boy was about to choke himself if he kept gulping the water down so quickly. Bringing the cup back, Snape ignored the pitiful noise of suffering it caused and waited for Potter to open his eyes so that he could talk to him. There was something that Snape didn't understand about the situation and being ignorant always made him angry and impatient. Potter would give him his answers.

The Slytherin Head of House could see the exact moment the boy realised just who it was he was almost lying back against in the wave of terror that swept into his green gaze. The boy flinched from him, though Snape had been expecting it, and shifted quickly around on the cold tiled floor to face him. Small sinewy hands clenched the fabric of his robes at his knees and thin shoulders hunched protectively. Despite expecting this, Snape couldn't help but feel both anger and disappointment at this reaction from the brat. Hadn't he been indifferent and even protective of him since arriving here, thought Snape? Avoiding remembering the first potions class he had with the brat.

Of course, this anger didn't help settle Harry and it certainly didn't help when Snape narrowed his eyes, banished the cup of water and crossed his arms over his chest, making him all the more intimidating to the still kneeing Harry. Snape almost seemed to tower over him and when he spoke it was laced with suppressed impatience and anger.

"What, pray tell, do you have to say for yourself Potter?" He hadn't exactly meant to make it sound like an accusation while asking the boy if he was alright but he could hardly correct his mistake now as he had already seen the messy haired brat flinch and then a stream of apologises were pouring out of the small Slytherin's mouth, stopping Severus from getting a word in edgeways.

"Sir! I'm so sorry sir! I didn't mean to. I would never waste food like that normally sir. Please believe me sir, I'm sorry sir." Figuring that it was only so long until the man found out about his other misdeeds and so decided that he would apologise for them now, hoping an early apology would lessen his punishment. Harry really didn't expect much, but he had the slimiest amount of hope.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you sir. I don't mean to be sick all the time and I would never waste food like that normally sir. I just can't help it sir. I won't eat that much again sir. I swear sir. I won't waste any more food and I'm sorry that I couldn't sleep on the bed like you told me sir. I keep having nightmares but I didn't mean to make you angry sir. I promise to try harder! Please don't punish me sir!"

Harry seemed to be panicking with every apology that poured out of his mouth and Snape just looked on in bewilderment and horror as the boy grew delirious from all his apparent sins. Seeing Potter pause for breath, Snape decided to take hold of the situation before it could get any further out of his control and comfort zone. He didn't even know what to do with the boy now.

Obviously he needed to be reassured but Snape could see there were more problems he needed to tackle with the boy. The words coming out of his mouth weren't just false sincerity to hopefully get him out of trouble. Snape knew what that looked like, too many students had tried to pull that act on him before. The boy really was offering to starve himself to stop causing a nuisance and was apologising for something like nightmares.

He couldn't just sit back and do nothing with the boy in this state. "Be quiet Potter! Calm down boy! You are giving me a headache with your insistent apologising." Maybe snapping at the boy hadn't been the kindest thing to do but it had got the brat to shut up. Whether from shock or fear didn't matter to Snape at the moment.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Severus decided to ask what he thought was a perfectly logical and simple to answer question. "Tell me Potter, why you are so sick from only eating such a small amount of food?"

Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say as he saw the boy's eyes go wide once again behind his obscene glasses and apologies started pouring out of his mouth once again. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to eat so little when you told me to eat more. I really didn't mean to waste so much food sir. I promise I'll never be sick again sir. I didn't mean to get sick sir"

Losing patience rapidly, Snape let out some of his frustration. "Of course you didn't mean to be sick Potter! Why can you not answer such a simple question as the one I asked you? Are you really so stupid that basic conversation is above you?" Snape regretted it the moment the words came out of his mouth but there was little he could do to take the words back now and he had never been one for apologising.

Harry didn't see the regretful look that passed across the potions master's face. All he had heard is the word stupid and his brain had shut down immediately as panic set in. They had figured out he was stupid and freaky. It was only a matter of time before they sent him back to the Dursleys. Vernon would be sure to beat him horribly for coming back before he was meant to. No one would care what happened to him and he would never see Hermione or Neville again. What if Professor Snape punished him for hiding his freakiness and then sent him home? He didn't think he could take a beating from both men and survive it.

In his panic, Harry began to hyperventilate violently still kneeling on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. This complete panic coupled with his severe malnourishment and lack of sleep got to Harry quickly and before he could say anything to Professor Snape to try and convince him not to send him back, blackness passed through him and he lost all consciousness.

Severus watched first with worry when the boy remained silent to his snapping questions and then horror as the young boy began to hyperventilate. The already pale skin had gone a horrible grey colour in pure terror and before the Slytherin head of house could even think to do anything to help, the boy's glazed green eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

Luckily, years of being around clumsy adolescents with dangerous substances and a spy for the dark lord had given Severus sharp reflexes and he managed to catch the messy head of hair before it could impact the tiled floor with a crack.

Now panicking himself, Snape wondered worriedly just what exactly he was meant to do. Sick children were Poppy's problem. He was more suited to disciplining the brats but he couldn't exactly leave the boy here to go and floo Poppy and if he was to be seen with Potter in such a state by the students or the other heads of house, they may excuse him of harming the boy. Never mind that he was only trying to help, his animosity for anything Potter was very well known after all.

Thinking quickly, Snape placed his other hand under the boy's knees and lifted him into his arms. If he was worried about the boy's weight before he was truly alarmed now. An eleven year old, even a small one should not be this light. _Does the boy eat nothing? _

Quick strides took Snape out of the bathroom and moving swiftly towards the dungeons. Dinner should only just be finishing by now so it was unlikely for anyone to see them but if someone did, he would much rather have it be one of his snakes, who he could manipulate with ease from the common room.

Deciding to take Potter to his personal quarters had been a split second decision but it was the closest floo he could use to contact Poppy and it would keep both himself and the boy away from the prying eyes of others and the Hogwarts rumour mill. It would also offer both he and Poppy some privacy to examine the boy.

Some small part of Snape's brain, that was detached from the situation was laughing at the irony of it all and his sudden change of behaviour. If someone had asked at the beginning of the week, hell even a few days ago if he would even allow a Potter within ten feet of his person, let alone his own rooms by choice, he would have laughed in their face, but here he was clutching the terribly thin and sick son of James Potter to his chest and intending to do just that.

However, Snape was well versed in ignoring this part of his brain and continued his almost running sprint down into the dungeon maze. Approaching the portrait that guarded his rooms, Severus snapped out the password before hurrying inside to lay Potter down on the couch in front of the fire.

Looking at the boy's face was a shocking site. Snape was sure the boy hadn't looked like that before in the bathroom. Harry's cheeks were sunken in and his skin pulled over his bones as not a pinch of fat softened his face. Beneath his eyes were darkened smudges, the likes of which he had only seen on himself during the height of the previous war. The signs of exhaustion plain upon his face. If anything, the boy's clothes seemed to hang off him even more than they had previously and Severus could barely hear the sound of the shallow rasping breaths signalling life in the corpse like body.

Wasting not a moment in his shock, Severus had grabbed the floo powder and hurled it into the fire. Waiting impatiently for the flames to fully turn green before dropping to his knees and calling out 'Poppy Pomphrey's office' into the magical fire. Not waiting for an answer to his call, trusting the mediwitch to have heard it, he continued.

"Poppy, I have an emergency down here. One of the students needs you." Withdrawing himself from the fire, Severus glanced one last time at the child resting on his couch before leaving to enter his own private store room. Being in the familiar surroundings helped his nerves and allowed him to calm his mind but just in case, he quickly swallowed a calming draft before gathering everything he thought the mediwitch would need from his shelves.

Levitating the several dozen different coloured and shaped bottles behind him, Snape exited the office just in time to see the brown haired witch in starch white robes step confidently through the floo. Snape addressed the new arrival to his quarters while making sure all the bottles were safely placed upon his side table near the sofa with the resting boy.

"Poppy, Mr Potter appears to be in urgent need of your attention. The boy left the hall early during this dinner and I found him to be violently sick in one of the toilets. When I questioned the boy, he went into hysteria and collapsed. I brought him here for obvious reasons. Most worryingly, he is deliriously light. You must help him!"

"Calm down Severus, I've been doing this job before you were born. I think I will be able to tell what is wrong with the boy."

Under other circumstances, Poppy might have been surprised to be not only checking on Harry Potter this early in the year for something apparently serious but doing so in Severus Snape's rooms, but details like that didn't matter to the nurse when she had a patient to treat and so any shock was pushed away and out of her mind in place of calm professionalism. Severus wasn't the only one who was good at controlling his own emotions when needed.

Even so, the sight of the boy was a shock to the system. He looked fatigued and malnourished and appeared to be having trouble breathing. Casting general diagnostics to confirm her suspicions, Poppy barked orders at Severus.

"Don't just stand there Severus and help me undress the boy. He's having trouble breathing and you know for the more advanced diagnostics, I can't have clothes causing a barrier between the skin. Cut his clothes away."

The potions master had his wand out already and quickly set to using a weak powered cutting curse on the boy's overly large cloths. Cutting away the school uniform revealed even larger and tattered muggle clothing, swamping the frame of the small child. The sight of the clothing made something cold and heavy settle in the pit of Severus' stomach like the hysteria and malnutrition couldn't. It all but confirmed his suspicions about the boy's behaviour, but surly that couldn't be true. This was Harry Potter.

As the clothing fell away and revealed the boy's front, it became obvious that it could and did. The skin was a deathly pale of white, almost passing into a greyish pale hue, emphasising the unhealthy appearance of the boy's face. What really caught both the nurse's and potions master's attention was the scars that littered that pale plane of skin.

There were several, large and jagged across the boy's chest area, a smooth patch of redder skin on his left shoulder was attributed to a burn and a few more of the terrible blotches were scattered down the boy's arms. The prominent jutting ribs did nothing to disguise the cruelty the body had suffered and only emphasised it. The thin, concave belly with only just fading bruising, green around the edges from age, was a stomach turning site.

Quiet descended quite suddenly on the room as Poppy and Snape first took in the horror of the site before them before seeing their own emotions reflected in each other's eyes. Even as he watched, Severus saw the old and experienced nurse steel herself and turn back to her patient. She had dealt with this before, even on Severus himself, though the site never failed to shock her and make her blood boil. Revenge would come later though to those who had hurt the poor boy, right now her first priority was to set what she could to right.

Despite his great composer and legendary occlumency skills, Severus was not having an easier time of getting over the impact. He had the sudden feeling that his world just tilted sideways and that he hadn't been ready for it. The onyx eyes man had to stop himself from taking a step back from the sofa and fleeing into his sleeping chambers, wanting to be childish and wish this away as if a dream, hoping that his world would come back unchanged.

That wasn't going to happen though and he knew it. It was now confirmed that Harry Potter, the wizarding world's sweetheart and saviour, his childhood tormentor, James Potter's son had been abused to the same extent, if not worse than he had as a child and was in fact not a spoiled brat of a boy.

Why didn't he notice this? Surely, he should have seen the signs of exhaustion, for the boy was obviously suffering from a lack of sleep. The malnourishment and starvation should have been even easier to spot. With faint realisation that the boy must have been wearing a glamour unconsciously or not to cover his appearance, Snape didn't feel any better. Even if he couldn't see the physical effects of the abuse, he should have recognised the behaviour patterns. Exceedingly polite, shy, scared of authority figures and meek at any sign of confrontation. It was all there and he hadn't seen it!

Feeling that something needed to be done to alleviate the crushing guilt piling down on him in case he drowned in it, he started to apologise to the only one there who could hear him.

"Poppy, I'm so sorry. I should have been able to tell. I should have seen. I...I just thought he'd be exactly like his father, just a brat. I should have recognised… me out of all people should have seen! I.."

"That's enough Severus!" Poppy's voice was not unkind but it was firm. "Yes, maybe you should have seen, but so should have many people. There is nothing to do about that, but know that we know and I need you to help me. The boy has a fever and is suffering from exhaustion and malnutrition. My diagnostics don't show any broken bones, though many have been set wrong and he doesn't have any internal bleeding, thank Merlin."

Snape nodded, realising that while he had been standing useless in his world tilting realisation, Poppy had acted like the professional she was and given the boy some fever reliever and energy up to restore his energy levels. Bruise cream had faded the last of the bruises but the scars remained. Severus knew from experience that if scars weren't dealt with quick enough they would always remain. Unfortunately, Harry would have to remain scarred for the rest of his life.

"Help me turn the boy over so I can deal with any more bruising and make sure there's nothing to much worse of the back. We'll need to set up a drip of high concentrated nutrition potion, if we want to set him on the road to recovery. Unfortunately as you know, things like exhaustion can only be slept away so I'll mix in some wake me not to the first dose."

"Moving him to the hospital wing through either the floo or the castle will only worsen his condition. He can stay here and be placed in the bedroom" Severus offered, quickly regaining his ability to think rationally.

Poppy looked surprised for a moment before softening her gaze towards him and nodding to show she agreed. Using magic and working together, they managed to turn Harry onto his back without jostling or waking the boy. Peeling the rest of his shirt away, they saw that the boy's back was a repeating scene of his chest, only worse. Poppy quickly did some more diagnostics to check she didn't miss anything from the front and Snape gingerly applied some of the blue bruise cream to the last of the fading patched of green and purple. Again, the scars would have to remain.

Again using magic, they moved the boy into the bedroom and lay his thin frame under the large green comforter. Poppy removed the last of the boy's clothing and quickly conjured a hospital robe to lay over him. Medical supplies were swiftly fetched through the floo and within the next ten minutes, Harry Potter had a drip attached to his arm and monitoring spells placed over him before the adults slowly closed the door behind them and left him to sleep.

"Poppy," Severus said, as they finished attaching the drip "the boy has been under a self cast glamour that could contribute to his exhaustion. How long before his magic recovers?"

Waving her wand in an intricate pattern and almost humming under her breath, Poppy paid close attention to the gold strands of light that formed around her wand before dropping the spell.

"He has severe magical exhaustion and frankly a non wand, unconscious glamour like that is an astounding feet of magic for one so young. The thing that worries me is that something is still draining his magic." She said, now sounding worried for the first time that night. None of the medical equipment should put a drain on the boys own magic.

"Excuse me?" said Severus, equally confused.

"Something is draining his magic, and I don't mean just by a little, but something is almost eating away at his magic." A frown marred the nurse's face, troubled and not a little bit disturbed by what her diagnostics had shown.

"Is it harming him?" asked Severus, his own frown etched on his face.

"As far as I can see, it isn't but it will slow his recovery. I am not an expert in this field Severus. I am used to dealing with transfiguration mishaps, not unusual parasitic draining on magic. I can ask my colleges that I keep in touch with and get some books but other than calling in an expert, I can't for sure say anything more than the drain on his magic is definitely _there_."

"I know, I am sorry if I instituted that you couldn't do your job Poppy,"

The nurse released a long sigh and seemed to reassemble herself. " Oh, I know Severus. I need to return to the hospital wing in case something else come up. You are the most qualified person to look after the boy. I am simply thankful that it is the weekend."

Many people would not even think of trusting a child, especially Harry Potter, to the dubious care of Severus Snape but Poppy had tended to the dour, long black haired boy's own wounds from abuse and knew that under all that snarl and sarcasm, Severus Snape was and could show kindness where needed. She never said this of course, knowing that it would make the man terribly embarrassed and lead to a lashing of his tongue. A defence mechanism if she ever saw one.

The two adults closed the door to the bedroom and the sleeping, damaged boy behind them softly. Having done all they could for now until Harry awoke and they could begin to address the no doubt daunting amount of mental scars that were sure to be engraved on the black haired waif.

Poppy and Severus shared a look of exhaustion, the shock and the emotional turmoil catching up with them. Eventually, Poppy decided she had had enough for the night.

"I'll come down tomorrow morning Severus and will discuss what to do then." That sentence held a mine field of problems. "I'm too tired to do much of anything now. Look after him Severus, I am confident your sleeping draft will keep him in slumber until sometime tomorrow night, but be sure to watch over him just in case."

"I will Poppy. Thank you for the swift assistance." With the last of the goodbyes over with, Poppy left in a swirl of green flames.

Severus stood still, staring into his own hearth fire for many minutes as he tried to assimilate everything that had happened in such a short time. Feeling that the world was still at a tilt, he fetched himself some calming draft to calm his nerves and set about his nightly routine. It was only when he made himself ready to migrate to his bed and found it already occupied by the malnourished lump of Harry Potter. His deathly pale face almost flowing in the twilight and his messy hair spilling over the dark green pillow, did he remember that he was to take up residence in the living room for the night.

Transfiguring his green and black holstered comfortable sofa into a similar looking bed, Severus Snape concluded that with everything happening, he may just have to get used to seemingly walking sideways.


	7. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi again, sorry for the wait but you know how it is. To make up for it this is a looong chapter, at least for me anyway. Hope you enjoy it and please as always review and tell me what you think of the story so far. If you've got any ideas I would also love to hear them.

**Warning: **Mentions of abuse and slight disfigurement, nothing to bad but i thought I would warn you anyway.

Hope you enjoy the chapter and sorry for the slow pace but I'm trying to keep the character development and relationships as realistic as possible.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 11**

Harry awoke to unfamiliar surroundings. His head felt heavy and disorientated. Everything around him was blurry thanks to his lack of glasses. He could tell though that the room was only dimly lit with the early light of dawn filtering in under the heavy curtains. It was this that triggered Harry's brain to respond and had him sitting him up quickly. Neither the common room nor the dormitory in Slytherin had windows, what with being in a dungeon.

Looking around desperately with his blurry vision, Harry was coherent enough to realise one thing instantly. He was on a bed!

Panic erupted in his chest and Harry threw himself to the side violently with what little strength he had. Landing on the hard wood floor with a loud 'thump' and bruising his slender frame. He had been sleeping in a bed! What if Vernon found out? Or the teachers? It wasn't even his bed, he realised with even more mounting terror. The professors would surly punish him now. Bad enough he was sleeping in a bed like he was a normal person and not a freak but he was sleeping in someone else's bed too. What if he got them into trouble or infected them with his freakishness? Harry wasn't entirely sure if it was possible for him to infect anyone but with the way the Dursleys acted, it didn't seem important if it was possible only that he actually had the gall to present the possibility and defile what was theirs.

Harry whimpered within the confines of his mind. He would surly get one hell of a beating for this. He just knew it.

Harry didn't think his horror of the inevitable pain to come could get worse but it was then that the door to the dimly lit room opened and someone decided to light the fire and wall lanterns.

Standing ominously in the door way was Severus Snape and with his imposing visage Harry not only remembered the events of the night before with much shame and fear but felt the blood drain from his face and his heart drop to his feet.

Snape had just finished preparing for the day when the charm he had placed on the boy started ringing in his ears, alerting him that Potter had finally woken. He was going to take the initiative and floo Poppy immediately when the loud, unmistakable, sound of a body hitting the ground hard was heard from the bedroom.

Thinking it best to make sure the boy hadn't badly injured himself, seeing as even a small fall at his weight with so little muscle mass could possibly cause major damage, he opened the door swiftly and deftly flicked his wand to light the room.

The light revealed what he thought the situation would be, but had hoped not to see. The bed was crumpled and covers thrown aside in haste. The boy himself was sitting up on the wooden floor. Apparently, not badly physically injured from throwing himself onto the floor to get away from the unfamiliar bed but the sheer terror on the young, painfully thin face and the absolute lack of colour in his cheeks wasn't very comforting.

Not that Snape was concerned about the brat above his physical welfare. The dour man still tried to lie to himself and squash any feeling of concern that had risen in him from last night. Despite being a master of denial, especially when it concerned himself, Severus was finding it harder and harder to fool himself when it came to anything concerning the boy. Damn him!

."Potter! Just what do you think you are doing? I put you in the bed for your own health; I will not have people thinking I cannot take care of my students by you throwing yourself on the floor."

Seeing that most of what he was saying either wasn't getting through to the boy and was confusing him, Snape resorted to desperate measures. Taking a stride to enter the room and reach the boy's side before the young Slytherin could even think of bolting, the potions master had grabbed him under his arms causing the boy to freeze and lifted him like a child effortlessly back onto the bed. Snape would admit to not being the strongest of people but with Potter being so light, hauling around his thin body was no trouble.

"There, I have placed you on the bed. Get it through your thick skull that that is where I want you to stay! I have questions to ask and you will answer them but I refuse to talk to you while you continue to lie on the floor like a bad rug."

Harry nodded eagerly to show he understood even if he was more confused than he had ever been and still terribly frightened. He had frozen when the man had touched him, worried that he would be getting the beating he deserved only to find his immediate panic was unneeded when the potions master had lifted him onto the bed.

The green eyed boy was warring within himself. Uncle Vernon had always made sure that he knew with absolute certainty that luxuries like beds were for normal people and not freaks like him. But Professor Snape had placed him on the bed personally and sounded as if he would get extremely mad were he to get off again. With the dark haired man looming over him as he was now, Uncle Vernon seemed like a very distant entity so Harry stayed put, though he still trembled slightly.

Gazing at the boy to make sure he wasn't thinking of once again throwing himself to the floor, Snape was satisfied that his show of personally placing the brat where he wanted him would keep him there. So far, the encounter hadn't been so bad but the head of Slytherin knew it was only to get worse. So far, he had gotten by snapping at the brat but he knew that scathing comments wouldn't be the best path to take to get his answers.

"Potter" Snape began in a much calmer tone of voice. He had tried to do caring but had just decided to do firm and indifferent instead. There was only so far he could go outside the privacy of his own occlumency shields. "Will you please explain to me why you did not tell me that my instructions were causing you harm and causing you to further determent your health?"

The boy stared at him blankly. Harry almost bolted again when he didn't understand what the man said. He was well read but he didn't understand what his head of house wanted and he was using such big words, Harry was having difficulty to string together in his own mind because of the fear.

Seeing the blank look, Severus let out a small sigh, "Why did you not tell me that eating so much at dinner was causing you to be sick?"

Oh no, Snape wanted to know why he had been so ungrateful as to continue to waste food instead of telling him and not having anything to eat instead. He was probably angry at all the wasted food that the other could have eaten. Snape was nice enough to let him eat normally instead of starving him like the freak he was and he had gone and thrown it back in the man's face.

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to waste the food sir. I swear. I was just trying to do as you told me sir. I'm sorry I should never have wasted all that. I won't eat anything if you don't want me to make up for it sir. Sorry, sorry…"

"Enough." The firmness of his voice caused the boy to stop mid rant, for which Snape was glad. He may have been a brat and a Potter and he may have been a Slytherin and a death eater but he couldn't stomach the idea of a child willing to starve himself for a believed infraction on an adult. It was far too disturbing and said more than he wanted, but needed none the less, to know about the child's upbringing.

"It's alright Potter. You do not need to starve yourself. I simply wanted to know why you did not tell me but I can understand that you don't trust easily and are…afraid of me. Which I suppose is partly my own fault. You will not be punished for this." He continued seeing the boy trembling more and more by the second. "However, I am giving you new instructions that you will follow. Do I make myself clear?"

A fast nodding of messy black hair was the child's answer. Snape wasn't proud of himself for using the boy's own fear as a way to get him to follow instructions. Though against any other child, he wouldn't have though anything of it. However, these were different circumstances and although he wasn't proud of doing it, he recognised that it would guarantee the boy would follow what he said.

"At meals from now on, you will eat all you can until you are full. I don't care what you eat but try to eat a bit of meat even if it is rich. You will stop eating if you start to feel sick, however you will not just nibble as you did so at the beginning of the term. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir. I'll eat as much as I can until I start to feel sick, and be at all meals." Harry wasn't sure if he was hearing right but parroted the instructions all the same. Eat until he was full! But not sick and not aching for food. It seemed to cruel to be true and no doubt it would only end up being a cruel trick on the freak but no matter what ended up happening, if he could eat like that for only a few days before they decided they had been too nice to the freak, it would be worth it.

Snape nodded sharply. His strong jaw and high cheek bones making the gesture seem more severe than it really was and abruptly Harry remembered just who he was sitting on a bed in front of. He stiffened his spine and hunched his shoulders as onyx eyes deliberately caught his own.

"Stay here Potter. Do not get off the bed and lie down again. I will return shortly and when I do, you will do exactly what I say and answer any questions I may have. Until then, you are to rest."

Snape once again strode smoothly out of the room, shutting the door and dimming the wall lights with his wand but leaving the fire roaring. Harry was afraid but he wouldn't disobey a direct instruction. With the imposing presence of the potions master gone from the room, Harry found himself relaxing. The bed, with dark green covers with warm brown trimmings was extremely soft and comfortable and although he knew he shouldn't be enjoying it, the feel of it he couldn't help but do so. Knowing that he would not get in trouble, supposedly, for being on the mattress.

The light of the fire sent shadows dancing across the room and Harry stared at the fuzzy light a few feet away. Snape had seemed to forget that he needed his glasses to see properly. Despite himself and that it went against everything that had been ingrained into him since he could remember harry found himself relaxing and soon lying back down on the covers and slipping into a light doze.

XXX

The first thing he did when he fully exited the room and had the door closed firmly behind him was let out a long sigh. The second thing he did was let out a long stream of the worst curses he knew that did all but turn the air around him blue. Satisfied that the situation had been given the reaction it required, Severus Snape went quickly to the floo.

Calling Poppy didn't take a second but it took a few minutes for the matron to appear. When Snape asked about this, she replied that some people took the chance to get a lie in while they could and she was gathering the potions that Mr. Potter would be needing, seeing as that was obviously what he was calling about.

Stepping through the floo in a huff, the petite women sent Severus a glare to be proud of, enjoying the way his eyes trailed to the floor like the angst school boy he once was that she remembered from not too long ago before softening her gaze and letting it go.

She had personal experience with knowing that Severus Snape was not a morning man, though he didn't appear to be an afternoon man either. She also knew just what this situation must be putting him through, digging up memories and skeletons better left forgotten and done with.

"How is the boy Severus?" Best not to mention it, she may have been closer to the person that was Severus Snape than most but she could only guess the reaction he would have if she was to ask about his _own_ well being. It most definitely wouldn't be pretty, she was sure.

"He is fine Poppy. He awoke not long ago and I have already talked to him. He appears coherent and doesn't seem to have a fever from what I could tell. I have ordered him to relax in the bed but I don't know if he will. The boy is seemingly in a permanent state of being one breath away from a panic attack and almost constantly suffering from anxiety of some sort. When I enter the room, he literally drains of colour."

Snape paused here. He knew it was his own hatred of the boy's father and his own conviction that the son would be no better and would be the perfect person to suffer the sins of his sire that had lead to the boy being as terrified as he was when he entered the room. While he was certain the boy wouldn't confide in him without his own deplorable actions anyway, the boy seemed to be walking a very thin line between mistrust and absolute consuming fear of a person. He had practically caused the boy to take a running leap over it. Snape was not surprised at the boy's fear in the slightest but it did make dealing with him all the harder. Hopefully, the kind visage and caring nature of Poppy could calm the brat a bit.

"I see. Well, you know there is little we can do for that other than having calming potions on hand just in case it gets bad and he starts hyperventilating like you said he was when you found him. Other than that, it is not too hard to cure his physical ailments. Just time consuming as you know."

Snape nodded and once again looked away from the nurse that had known him since he first stepped foot in Hogwarts. He knew all too well.

"The metal aspects of his health however…" Poppy trailed off, catching the onyx eyes with her own hazel ones and knowing nothing needed to be said. "You will help him with that I suppose." Now that did warrant a verbal response.

"I beg your pardon!" cried Snape, sounding scandalized that she could think such a thing.

The nurse looked at him sternly. "You are his head of house. It is your duty."

"My duty, my duty! My dear Poppy, the boy has a panic attack every time I enter the room. If I was to try and help him, he would have died of oxygen deprivation before the month is out!"

Poppy contained her smile at the dramatics of the man in front of her and his name for her. Underneath all that gruff and social awkwardness, Severus Snape was a kind and sensitive man. Though of course, she would never say such a thing. She was sure that the man would be scandalized to hear such a thing.

"As I said Severus, calming potions until he starts to trust you and no longer has such a severe reaction. You know the stigma attached with your house all too well." She didn't like to bring it up, seeing the shimmering anger that was brought forth in his eyes and was fully mirrored in her own but it was true none the less. "The other teachers will not help him and even if they would, you have to admit you are the most knowledgeable person in this situation." She continued talking to forestall the outburst that would have followed her words. "His celebrity status means that getting help from outside the school is impossibly unless you want the boy involved in some kind of media scandal and to start an all out war on the muggles. They may have forsaken the boy for being a Slytherin but we both know how fickle the public's opinion can be. Paint the boy as being tainted by his abuse by muggle relatives and they shall be sure to flock to his side and defence once again. The backlash would be unbelievable."

"You are the best person to deal with this Severus, despite your own misgivings. You will just have to go slow with the child and get him to talk to you."

Snape dearly wanted to argue. Oh how he wanted to argue and shoot down the woman's arguments with his own cold logic but no matter what he wanted, there was no refuting what she said was the truth. It was his duty to help the boy and had been since he had vowed that Dumbledore's negligence would not harm the boy for being a Slytherin. No matter how much he wanted to rage against the idea.

"Fine, I will get the boy to talk to me but do not go expecting miracles Poppy. It is unlikely that the boy will ever truly open up to me considering how my own actions have already influenced his opinion."

Poppy gave the man an understanding look and Severus almost hated her for it, for knowing him so well and being able to forgive himself for his own misgivings when he himself couldn't and knew he didn't deserve it. Still, he hated himself more.

"Well then, shall we go and see the boy? The sooner we get started on his physical recovery, the better."

With that, Poppy walked past the dour man and to the door of the bedroom. Pushing the door open and lighting the wall scones once again, Poppy made sure that the potions master was following her closely and not brooding in front of the fire, before fully entering the room.

Looking at the only occupant of the room, Poppy felt her heart melt a bit but contained her pity under her professional mask. Drowning in the bedding lay Harry, still as painfully thin as the last time she saw him but the bags under his eyes had receded somewhat and he was currently dozing, looking far too fragile.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden boards of the floor woke the boy with a start and seeing the two blurry figures towards him, he sat up and pressed himself against the headboard while hunching his shoulders. He could identify the tall dark blurry figure of the potions master but he didn't know the new blurry figure in the room.

The boy was gazing at her frightfully and her heart sunk a little seeing the look of terror in his eyes. Being a nurse, Poppy soon noticed that although the boy was staring at her; he seemed to be unfocused and unsure of where to lay his gaze. Glancing at the glasses Severus had laid on the bed side table, she slowly picked them up, making sure not to make any sudden movement that could be taken as aggressive in case the boy reacted badly and injured himself even more.

Holding out the glasses to the boy, she could see the recognition in his eyes but it was with great hesitancy that he reached out to claim his property. It was a heart breaking sight. Having the glasses in his hand, the boy swiftly moved to put them on. No doubt his fear was heightened by not being able to see them properly.

Behind Poppy, Snape was silently cursing himself for forgetting to give the boy his glasses earlier. The situation may be strange and uncomfortably close to his own past but that was no reason to lose his head and forget things as important as that. If he was going to be the one to help the boy, he would need to pay attention to everything about the boy and how he behaved.

Harry stared nervously at the person at the end of the bed. He glanced quickly to the potions master who stood to the side and a bit away from the bed, near the dark oak wardrobe that took up a corner of the room. He seemed to be waiting for the woman to speak so Harry turned most of his attention back to her. However, throughout the conversation, he sent glances to the potions master. He was almost as afraid of his head of house as he was of Uncle Vernon and while he was in the room, his survival instincts wouldn't allow him to keep the man out of his sight for long.

"Harry dear, I'm Madam Pompfrey, the school nurse. I'm here to check on your wounds and give you some potions that will help."

Harry snapped his full attention to the woman the moment the words 'nurse' came out of her mouth. She said she knew about his punishments. This was the worst thing that could happen. Uncle Vernon said to never tell an adult but even worse was to tell a nurse. He was going to die. When Uncle Vernon found out, he was sure to kill him for breaking the rules so brazenly. What if she told other people? What if they sent him back?

With that thought, Harry stopped breathing. They were going to send him back and the nurse would talk with Uncle Vernon about his punishments and then he was going to die. Vernon would kill him when they left. He wouldn't get to stay at Hogwarts and he would lose his first friends and he was going to die, after he had become so happy.

"NO!" screamed Harry. Startling both Poppy and Snape, who had been growing concerned with how pale the boy had gone. "Don't send me back. Please don't send me back. I'll be good and I won't eat anything and I won't sleep in the bed and I won't bother anyone. Please don't say anything. Please, please, please." At the end of his exclamation, Harry curled in on himself and pressed himself further into the head board. Trying to meld into the wood, the absolute terror soon robbing his ability to speak and sending him into a trembling ball of fear.

In her surprise at the boy's outburst, Poppy belatedly realised that the boy had started hyperventilating. She needed not have worried though as Severus was used to the boy's violent exclamations and disturbing words and had already whisked out a calming potion.

Maybe he should have been gentle and coaxed the boy into drinking it but the potions master was a realist and knew that could take a long time. Gripping the boy's shoulder firmly, but not enough to hurt, the boy flinched into himself further but Snape wasn't going to let that stop him. Moving his hand from the shaking shoulder to grip the boy's chin, he forced the messy haired boy to look up and open his mouth. Tipping the potion down the youth's throat, he made sure that the boy had swallowed it and that his breathing had calmed down to normal before realising him.

The boy slumped, his shaking almost gone and his body seemingly boneless. The boy was now looking down, as if not daring to look up and was still curled into a ball but at least his fingers were no longer turning white by clutching at his knees.

"Now listen hear Potter and listen well because I'm only going to say this once. We already know about the injures on your body." The boy flinched but didn't look up. "You will allow Poppy to treat you and will take any potions she gives you. You will not struggle and you will not argue. However, I will make this clear now, you are staying at Hogwarts. You will not be sent back by me or Poppy and no one else will send you back either. Saying that, only I and Poppy at the moment know of your injuries and it is likely to stay that way. Now will you please look at me?"

Maybe it the intimidating man's use of the word please when asking something of the young Slytherin or maybe it was the fact the words were stated in a crisp voice of such certainty that even in Harry's scared and sceptical mind, he found it hard to not believe the man but Severus Snape got the reaction he wanted.

The boy uncurled himself more as his head snapped up so that both of the adults could see his face. He still didn't make eye contact but Snape wasn't expecting miracles. Turning to Poppy, Snape waited for her to recover from the shock of seeing him, in his own way, comforting the hysterical boy.

Once she took note of the man's uncomfortable expression, she had to smother a smile. Oh, this would never do. Severus Snape being sensitive to his student's worries, what is the world coming to?

"Harry," the boy's gaze turned, almost reluctantly away from the professor to her. "I have here some potions that will help you gain weight and strengthen your immune system as well as help your wounds heal and keep away infection. Please take them all."

Giving the boy the array of potions, the boy looked at them dubiously but one glance to the looming professor and he drank them down without complaint. Though even he couldn't suppress a grimace at the taste.

Smiling at the boy to hopefully set him at ease, Poppy took away the empty bottles. "Well done. Now to make sure you recover fully, I'm going to have you drink these potions every day for a while. They'll be by your dorm bed every day in the morning. Please drink them before going to breakfast every day."

The boy nodded to show he understood and then sat there in silence. Looking at the boy nervously, Poppy had to ask. "Could you tell me Harry, who gave you those wounds?"

The boy's eyes snapped to his for a moment and he paled once again. Snape almost expected another panicked outburst but instead the boy just shook his head erratically. Poppy sighed; expecting such a reaction but Severus wasn't going to stand for it.

"Don't be ridiculous Potter. Those wounds are obviously from physical abuse and I can take a guess at who is the main culprit." The boy's eyes had turned to him and fear was obvious for the man to see. He tried not to look away from the boy and let the emotions affect him in case his words lost their weight with the boy.

"We will not ask you about this now as you first need to recover but I will be expecting you in my office next Saturday, am I clear? If you do not turn up and don't have a mighty good excuse, I will place you in detention and talk to you during that time instead. Understand?"

Harry nodded nervously. Inside, he had gone cold at the thought of telling anyone about the abuse. It was one thing that they knew about it and if Vernon ever found out, he was sure to kill him but if he admitted it and talked about it to his teachers, he was sure his uncle would not only kill him but torture him as well.

"Can I please go now sir?" he said quietly after the silence began to stretch on. Both adults were surprised that the boy had dared to speak. Maybe there was some hope yet.

"You may." Said Snape and stepped away from the bed so that the boy could get off the bed and head to the door. It was at this time that Harry realised he wasn't wearing his shirt under his robes and wondered what had happened to it but he had already asked one question and didn't have the nerve to ask another.

After they all left the bedroom, Snape showed the green eyed boy the door to his chambers checking outside quickly to make sure no one would be witnessing the strange site of Harry Potter leaving Severus Snape's personal quarters.

Seeing his freedom, Harry quickened his pace but before he could leave the threshold Snape placed a hand on his shoulder once again. Harry flinched and immediately stiffened. Snape took no notice of this reaction, knowing from personal experience that this reaction was normal for someone in the boy's situation.

"Another thing Potter. I want to make it clear that the bed in the dorm room is _your _bed. You are expected to sleep in it and you will not get trouble for doing so. However saying that, you may sleep wherever you are comfortable sleeping, just so long as you _do_ sleep."

Harry nodded to show he understood and as soon as the hand was removed from his person was out the door and down the long winding corridor. Only glancing back once at the two adults in the door way before hurrying away and disappearing from sight around a corner.

XXX

"What are we going to do Severus?" Poppy said as calmly as possible, never mind the fact that she wanted to cast crucio on something.

"Do? What can we do? As far as I can tell, we are the only ones who know about this." replied Snape. The dour man let out a quiet sigh as he sank into his plush green sofa. He hadn't even been able to enjoy breakfast yet and already he felt far too emotionally drained. He didn't need to see the ghost of his past echoed in James Potter's son.

"Well, we must do something. Report it to the headmaster, tell the proper authorities."

"We've already been through this. If we tell the authorities, it will be in the 'Prophet' by dinner time and the minister will push to take possession of the boy and you can understand just how damaging that will be to the boy." Poppy winced but didn't deny what he said. The last thing the emotionally damaged boy needed was being run out in front of the spotlight with the minister with people swarming over him like some kind of toy. "At the moment, telling Dumbledore is out of the question."

"Why? Surely, the headmaster will be willing to do something to help the boy. Find him another guardian maybe."

Snape let out another sigh and started rubbing the bridge of his nose. Just what he needed, a migraine. Harry may not be the spoiled brat he thought he would be but the boy still managed to give him a headache.

"The headmaster isn't willing to help him at this point in time because of the boy being a Slytherin. He may claim to be impartial but old prejudices run hard and he is worried about the boy being the next dark lord, even if he doesn't believe he is one already yet like the rest of the teaching staff seem to do. The boy has no other guardians other than his muggle relatives and no matter what, the headmaster will insist he has to return there because of the blood wards."

"There must be something we can do!" exclaimed the medi witch, the injustice of Harry's situation inciting her maternal instincts.

"At the moment, there is nothing. The Dursley's will of course need to be dealt with but not now while we still don't know the full extent of their crimes and need the woman's blood to protect the boy from the dark lord."

Poppy huffed and crossed her arms, a sure sign that she was annoyed. "What good is it to protect him against he-who-must-not-be-named if he is being similarly harmed by his own relatives?"

"After I have talked to them, I'm sure they will not wish harm the boy anymore. Until then though, the most we can do is to help the boy recover and seeing as you have already volunteered me for the job of councillor, that is what we shall do."

XXX

Early morning the day after he fled from his head of house's private room after collapsing found Harry bundled up in many layers and shivering in the cold breeze that blew through the owlery tower. Looking out one of the many windows over the grounds of Hogwarts bathing in the twilight, the messy haired boy gently stroked along the head of his beautiful snowy owl Hedwig. The first present he had ever received, given to him by Hagrid before entering Hogwarts, and his first ever friend.

Feeling comforted instead of unnerved by her unblinking yellow stare, the green eyed boy tickled under her downy chin and got a playful nip in return. Harry had come here to calm himself down after yesterday, confident that he was in the presence of the one creature he had no doubt would listen to his fears without thinking less of him.

"Snape found out about the Durlseys Hedwig. I didn't tell him, honest, but he knew anyway. I collapsed in front of him because I was being ungrateful and throwing up again. He brought the nurse!" Hedwig hooted lowly and bobbed her head in Harry's hand, trying as best as she could to calm her wizard down from his apparent panic.

"They must have seen the scars and everything else. I just know now that they'll think I'm a freak. Not that Snape didn't already know" bemoaned the young Slytherin. "He acted really strange, saying I could eat what I like and things like that. I'm sure he just being nice before he sends me back to the Dursleys. I'm sure he doesn't want freaks like me in Hogwarts, let alone in his own house!" Another hoot and a gentle nip but again the owl's comforts didn't seem to be reaching the boy.

Harry's voice changed and he moved his sight away from the brightening sky to stare at the stone ledge of the window, worn smooth by many thousands of owls coming and going over many years. His voice went from one of panic to one of great sadness as his green eyes moistened with unshed tears that he refused to let fall, worrying that if he began to cry now, he would never stop.

"I don't want to leave Hedwig. Its better here than at the Durlseys…and…and I have you and Hermione and Neville. I have friends! If I get sent back by Snape, I'll never see any of you again. Hermione and Neville will realise what a freak I am and feel stupid for talking to me and I won't be able to keep you at my relatives." Hedwig gave a rather loud and indigent hoot at that while ruffling her wings in annoyance. Just they try and keep her from her wizard. Stupid two legs, she'd shown them a thing or two.

This time, it seemed the young boy understood his feathered friends indignation and smiled sadly at her, using the sleeve of his to big robes to wipe his eyes and his foggy glasses. The sun was almost fully risen by this time and the Slytherin knew that he would have to leave to get to breakfast soon if he didn't want to face his head of house's wrath for skipping. Harry shivered in fright at the very thought of an angry Snape.

"I've got to go now Hedwig," The snowy owl gave him a farewell nip to the fingers before he left, "I'll come and talk to you soon if I'm not sent back."

With that, the green eyed boy collected his book bag and with one last affectionate stroke to his first friend left the owner to make the long trip to the great hall, hoping to eat early so he could avoid people before going to class. Talking with Hedwig had made him feel better and more relaxed but he was still worrying about the talks Snape had told him they would be having. No matter how scared he was of Snape, he wasn't going to say anything about his relatives. He was sure they were going to send him back there soon and if Uncle Vernon found out he told his professors about his punishments, he was sure to kill him. Harry could only hope that Snape would forget about his promise to talk to him.

Harry soon realised when seeing his head of house's onyx eyes pinned on him from the head table in the great hall that his hope was in vein.

XXX

A week had passed quickly and quietly, with lessons now in full swing and homework coming in, Harry didn't have time to worry too much about his impending talks with Snape, though the fear would remain in the back of his mind to distract him in potions and before he fell asleep at night. The week had been good to Harry, he got to talk to Slytherin several times and he helped him as much as he could with his wand movements and understanding of spells. Although Malfoy was still causing some trouble, he seemed to have lost his support from the older years as many of them either feared Harry for his show of terrifying accidental magic from when he fell of his broom or feared the wrath of their head of house were they to try and harm one of their own housemates.

His friendship with Hermione and Neville was going well and if they were not in their own common room, they were in the library studying or talking together quietly or in the green house as Neville had a genuine green thumb and was the best in their year in Herbology. The three first years had grown closer finding no other friends in the rest of their year mates. Neville and Hermione felt bad for Harry not having any friends in his own house but seeing as the boy only went to his common room to gather his books, sleep, wash or read before bed.

Now though, it was Saturday and the week was almost over and one person hadn't forgotten for a moment the talk he was going to be having with the messy haired young Slytherin. It was for this reason that Severus Snape decided it would be best for him to observe Harry the day before he would start his first of many talks with him in the hope he would be able to understand the boy better and have something to converse about. He knew his main concern was to get Harry to open up about the abuse and trust him but he also knew that asking about the treatment of the boy from his relatives without gaining his trust first was just a dead end.

It was because of this that the great dungeon bat was sweeping through the halls and scaring the living daylights out of the younger years that saw him coming. The older years had left joyfully from the castle on their first Hogsmeade weekend. Snape himself was heading to the library, he had checked outside, he had checked the common room and the dorms and he had checked the great hall and found not a trace of the Boy-Who-Lived, only Draco being the arrogant brat he was and trying to suck up to his head of house by insulting Harry had led him to discover that he should have been looking for him among Hogwarts many books.

Snape slowed his strides as he neared the library and slipping inside when the ever sharp Madam Prince was distracted, hid amongst the shadows cast by the vast bookcases, looking for his small student.

He found Harry tucked away in a corner on an old worn armchair scribbling with some difficulty onto a piece of parchment while glancing at a brown leather book resting on the table. Snape assumed he was doing his homework. While the boy finished his essay, Snape took the time to observe the boy and see what the week had done to his health. He had observed that the Slytherin had taken his words to heart and was no longer picking the heaviest and popular foods of the other pupils but still appeared to be eating far too little in the potion masters opinion. He couldn't tell if the boy had gained any weight as he had those blasted glamour charms up again but observing his hand, he was happy to see there was no apparent sign of exhaustion or shaking that might have been present a week ago. He knew from the house elves that the boy was taking his potions as instructed in the morning and was glad to see it was having a good effect. Not that he doubted any potion made by his own hand.

Harry finished his last essay with a flourish, glad that he had all homework done and the rest of the weekend to talk with his friends and study more interesting things. Severus almost rolled his eyes at seeing the boy pack up and then pull out another heavy tome that was almost as big a he was. Using a slight eye enhancing charm, he could see it was another book on magical creatures like he had first seen the boy with. Snape was sincerely hoping he didn't have another Hagrid on his hands. With the boy being so small, most magical creatures would consider him lunch rather than a friend like the big half giant.

Snape was nothing if not patient though his students would beg to differ and he did not fidget or begin to feel bored as other people might as he watched the small boy read his large book. It was an undistinguished amount of time later when the doors of the library were thrown open rather more violently than by any other occupant so far and one small, murderous looking Gryffindor stormed in.

Harry jumped nearly a foot out of his seat and stared wide frightened eyes to the entrance. He shrunk back in his seat when Hermione Granger stormed right past everything else, grabbed a book and slammed it down on the table while taking a seat opposite the small boy, said small boy was currently making himself as small as possible and using his large tome as a shield while peaking over the top to star at the bushy haired girl in trepidation. Severus didn't blame the boy, the girl look was vicious; who knew the book worm had it in her.

Snapping the book open, Hermione began to read angrily, almost igniting the pages with her glare. Harry hardly dared breathe to loudly in case her fury fell upon him instead.

Snape briefly wondered why Madame Prince didn't tell the girl off for her mistreatment of her precious book but reasoned she liked the other know it all girl and so let it pass. Bloody Gryffindor favouritism, Snape thought sardonically.

Severus also wondered if the girl and his student were such good friends as to automatically seek each other out in the library. He had of course known that they were sighted together in here often but didn't quite believe they could be so close as to be called friends when they were from rival houses; seems he was wrong.

Even as he watched, Harry slowly lowered his paper shield into his lap and gently reached out to touch the girl's tensely clenched hand. The potions master saw the hesitation in his movements, either from fear of being shouted at in the girls rage or fear of physically touching someone Snape didn't know. If it was that latter then that was another problem he would have to get the boy to open up about in their talks. Oh, joy.

Hermione looked up at the black haired boy sharply but calmed when she realised who the gentle touch belonged too. Taking several deep breaths, the girl calmed herself down enough to release her death hold on her book as Harry withdrew his hand and felt safe enough to lower his book entirely.

Snape quickly but stealthily moved closer to the couple of first years when he realised they had begun talking. He made sure not to be seen by the eleven year olds and was in time to catch the end of Hermione's rant. Seems Harry wasn't the only one having trouble with his house mates.

"..They're just so immature. Parvati and Lavender don't care about anything other than if their scrunchy matches their pencil case and if their hair is properly curled. The others are just…just…boys," Snape was rather amused to hear the girl spit out the word like it was a curse, "apart from you and Neville of course. That Ron though, he wouldn't know when to shut his mouth if it was written down for him. And when he eats, ergh, does he have any concept of manners? He's such an arse, going around calling me names when he himself is doing the worst in Gryffindor and then asking to borrow my notes like he has the right. The bloody arse!"

Turns out that angering the uptight book worm brought out her more outgoing side. Maybe there was some reason the girl was in Gryffindor after all. With her rant over; the girl calmed down some more to slump fully into her chair and smile at the silently listening Harry.

"At least it's better here than at my old school, I actually have you and Neville as friends here."

To those who knew what to look for like Severus, he could see the profound impact those casually said words by the girl had on Harry. For a moment, he looked surprised and disbelieving before his features softened to almost glow with happiness. A nervous smile spread across his face and he nodded to Hermione empathically. The simple happiness from the boy was rather pathetic but the potions master could understand fully how the boy must feel. Memories of bright red hair and almost identical green eyes came to him in that moment before he ruthlessly pushed them away like normal. Now wasn't the time.

Both Snape and Hermione were surprised when Harry decided to get up and leave the table without saying anything. Looking at the Gryffindor, Snape thought it spoke for their relationship when the apparently recently friendless girl looked more curious instead of hurt and betrayed.

The messy haired Slytherin returned shortly carrying another large, but significantly smaller than his original, tome to the table. Placing it in front of Hermione, the boy decided to explain after she read the tile, '_Famous witches and how they influenced our society'_.

"I thought you might like it. It reminded me of you." Snape noted that the boy, while looking amazingly sheepish and nervous, didn't stutter once in the girl's presence.

Hermione smiled at the boy and rather energetically threw her arms around him. She didn't seem to notice that this did nothing for the boy's nervous state of being. She released his slim shoulders quickly and Snape resisted the urge to go over there and state his curiosity about the book.

The girl and boy fell into a comfortable science while Snape observed their interactions with each other from the shadows cast by the dusty tomes. Neither child talked much but they did not need to feel at peace in each other's presence.

Time wore on, appearing slow and sluggish in the waning yellow light that spilled out in between the stacks. It was just as Severus was beginning to get impatient that the last of the unusual trio made an entrance.

Unlike Granger, Neville entered the library uncertainly, opening the large door just enough to squeeze himself through. Being a spy for the better part of a decade Snape was immediately aware of him, as he was everyone else in the library.

The boy approached the duo quickly ducking his head in embarrassment when Madame Prince immediately locked onto the dirt covering his fingernails and ordering him not to touch any of the books. Evidently, the boy had just come from the green house. Being anxious to escape the librarian's gaze, the brown haired boy hurried himself over to the table. He opted not to sit down when the other two looked up at him.

"Hi guys" he whispered, being sure to be quiet in case he call down Madame Prince's wrath, "Just thought you should know that breakfast is starting. You don't want to be late and Snape to think you've skipped a meal do you Harry?" the black haired boy immediately looked stricken with terror and hurried to put away his books. Hermione made him calm down so that he didn't damage any of the pages and assured him that they had time.

Looking sheepish again for causing his friend to panic, Neville nervously scratched the back of his head. A regular habit Snape assumed.

"You should wash your hands before going to breakfast Neville" the bushy haired Gryffindor reminded him primly, eyeing his dirty hands. Neville gave another nervous smile while nodding as they all stood to leave the table.

"Hey Harry, after breakfast you don't mind helping me with my potions essay do you? I can help you with the Herbology if you want."

"S-sure I can help. Hermione too" the girl nodded to show she agreed.

"We've already done the Herbology though so we would have more time later to explore the castle. We've already been here for weeks and I still don't feel like I know where I'm going. The main corridors are easy enough but this is a huge 18th century castle. There's got to more to explore." Hermione was almost shaking with excitement. Beside her, Harry also looked as curious but did a much better job of hiding it.

"I really wish we had a map of the place and maybe a time table of the staircases but I don't really think they follow any pattern." Harry said quietly.

"Well, maybe we can make one." suggested Hermione. Beside her Neville gave a half hearted shrug.

"I'd prefer to figure out where all of the fake doors and tripping steps are. I keep forgetting about the one of the Gryffindor stair case and falling over in front of everyone."

Harry placed a hand on Neville shoulder in comfort and the trio made their way out of the library while still discussing everything they still had to learn about Hogwarts and swimming with all the curiosity of three inquisitive eleven year olds.

Not too far behind them Snape left the library, being careful to make sure Madam Prince didn't see him depart and split from the children. Even to a cynical and embittered Slytherin like Snape, he could tell the three children had a close relationship despite their reputations as out casts and the houses they were in.

Snape wondered just how much someone as inquisitive and naturally bright as Granger and one as patient and perceptive as Longbottom knew about Harry and his situation. Perhaps, he should find out and talk to them. It would always help to know what the boy is like when he is relaxed and not terrified out of his skin. Snape had a perfect position to see the look on the boy's face when Neville suggested he might think Harry disobeyed his instructions. It would be difficult to get the boy opening up but if he had his friends helping behind the scenes to calm the boy down, it might be easier.

Yes, he would go and pay a visit to the two Gryffindors later. Snape did take a small amount of pleasure from imagining the two first years' faces when he did. For now, he would allow the three to enjoy their Saturday.


	8. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi everyone, how have you been. Haven't updated any of my stories for a long while but don't worry none of them are even near dead. Revision for exams is just putting them on hold. I managed to finish this chap when I just couldn't take reading through my chemistry book anymore.

Hope your all having a bit if a better time than i am. Please cheer me up by reviewing!

Many thanks to my beta for being just as patient and putting up with me.

Bit of a filler this I think.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 12**

Much later that very same evening Snape could be found sweeping through the halls to the muttering of the gossiping portraits and the terror of any unfortunate prefects on patrol who quickly fled in the other direction. The reason for the gossiping was simple; Snape the sneaky Slytherin was quite purposely making his way towards the Gryffindor common room.

While it wasn't unusual for the bat to patrol the surrounding corridors from a distance so as to have the pleasure of catching any out of bounds Gryffindor after curfew, the man never approached the lion's den himself. Mainly because Minerva would have his head if she thought he was being unfair and disciplining her students on her territory. The woman could be downright vicious if she thought she had been slighted. Rather like an offended cat, though it was anyone's guess why her animagus form was a tame tabby and not a snarling lioness at times.

Today though, Snape had a mission and that was to get Granger and Longbottom to tell him everything they could about the potter boy-brat!-so he could help the young Slytherin through his problems as quickly as possible and not have to suffer his presence any more than was strictly necessary. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting the boy to gain confidence and work through his abuse as fast as possible so he could get on leading a happy normal. s much as possible for the boy-who-lived-to-be-sorted-into-the-wrong-house-life. Nothing at all.

Despite the seriousness of the imminent conversation, Severus couldn't help himself from taking some pleasure from the look on the fat lady's face when he confidently stalked up and delivered the right password. His small amount of humour died quickly when the bloody portrait still refused to admit him entrance.

"Open up you blasted women; I have business with some of the occupants inside."

"It'll be a cold day in hell when I let you in here Severus Snape. Now you just move your Slytherin behind back to where it belongs. I'll not have you pranking my charges like I did a few years ago."

The scowl on Snape's face would have made anyone else cringe. Unfortunately it didn't work on portraits that still held the view you were thirteen years old and getting back at your school boy nemesis.

"You daft old woman. Has all that singing liquefied your brains as well as your eardrums? I am now a teacher at this undeserving school and as such I am allowed entrance into all common rooms within the castle despite the fact it is not my own. Now either you open this door right now or I'll have to demonstrate the most painful de-framing spell I know."

The fat lady paled and shuffled nervously from within her over spilling skirts. She like everyone else in the castle had heard the rumours of Severus Snape and his death eater days and like many of the portraits, she knew just what he was capable off from the infamous prank wars. They were less prank and more malicious traps that went on between him and the marauders for the seven years they both attended Hogwarts.

Good fortune smiled upon the old portrait at that moment however and she was not forced to make a decision between succumbing to the threat and betraying her own lions as her doorway opened from the inside at that moment and Minerva McGonagall stepped through.

"My word Severus, what is the meaning of all this noise and what do you believe you are doing terrorising the Gryffindor portrait?" If there was anyone who could match Severus Snape for the most stony glare, it was McGonagall. For a moment, all they did was glare at each other while the fat lady nervously shut behind them and took the decision to swiftly vacate her portrait to another nearby in case the potions master still followed through with his threat.

"I am here Minerva because I have business with two of your students and I am so called terrorizing your portrait because despite the fact I am clearly a teacher at this institution and have been for some years and so am intituled to going anywhere I wish upon the grounds, this…woman, still refuses me entrance!"

"I was not informed that any of my students had detention with you today Severus and it is too late to be awarding them now. You may be able to berate my students as you wish while teaching them but I will not have you doing it from within their own common room." The animagus replied calmly, still holding herself aloof and high against the darkening scowl.

"Do you really think me so stupid or so free for time as to do that with my evenings? I am not here for assigning detention or for pointing out all the many floors that your Gryffindors harbour. I am here for the concern of one of my own students and I am in need of some of your students to…assist me." Snape crossed his arms and drew himself up to his full impressive height, daring her to refute what he had said.

The head of Gryffindor house relaxed slightly. Severus was an acerbic and complicated man and always had been as long as she knew him. Truthfully they got on a lot better than they were doing at this moment even if they did come to heads often over the teaching of the students and house rivalries. Still, she knew that beneath all his grouch and cutting sarcasm, Severus Snape cared for his Slytherins and the school as much as she did. She also knew that the proud man would never admit to needing anything nearing help from someone-let alone a few Gryffindor students!-unless he was seriously concerned.

"Very well Severus, I will take you at your word. You best come with me to my office and tell me in full what this is all about and how my students can be of 'assistance'. Lest a few of my more troublesome students listen in and take it in their heads to flee while they have the chance rather than face your apparent wrath." Ha, that brought a sardonic smirk out of the grumpy bat. Though, it probably wasn't far from the truth. Her mind strayed to two identical red heads in particular.

Entering the transfigurations mistress's office, they firmly shut the door behind them while setting up privacy charms and took a few moments to make themselves comfortable in the antique oak armchairs on either side of the mahogany desk.

A moment of silence hung over the two professors. Each waiting for the other to speak first. Predictably, Severus' patience ran dry first.

"I have come to you Minerva as I wish to speak to two of your Gryffindor first years. I would be thankful if you would fetch them for me and if we were permitted to use your office for our discussion."

Minerva removed her hat and placed it primly on the desk before folding her hands together in her lap and giving the Slytherin head of house a stern look. "And why pray tell Severus, would you require the company of two of my first years?" She raised an eyebrow at him and disguised her annoyance when the dark haired man returned the movement with perfection that just screamed superiority.

Truthfully, Snape didn't want to have to share his concerns with the Gryffindor head of house. Potter was one of his Slytherin's and it was his responsibility to look after him. The woman had also shown some hostility towards the boy after he entered the house of the snakes. He knew he had no choice though if he wished to find out how emotionally damaged Harry really was from his friends, though it rankled him to air Slytherin problems to a Gryffindor.

"I wish to ask them about one of my Slytherin first years that they have apparently bonded with as I have some concerns for his welfare and emotional health." Seeing the question coming before it was voiced Snape continued, causing Minerva to close her mouth with a snap. "Harry Potter has been showing signs of abuse since he entered Hogwarts. I need to know if he shows these signs whilst amongst his friends."

The Gryffindor head of house was quite for a long moment, letting the heavy words hang between them.

"I wasn't aware that Potter had any friends in Gryffindor considering he was sorted into Slytherin."

Losing patience with her avoidance of his concerns and request, Snape set his venomous tongue on the transfiguration professor. "Oh for founder's sake Minerva, will you stop sulking over the sorting! Potter was sorted into Slytherin and the decision is final. Just because of this doesn't mean you can no longer coddle him as I'm sure you were planning to."

Affronted Minerva snapped back. "I did not plan to coddle him Severus. I just figured with James and Lily being such pound Gryffindors…"

"You know as well as I do the sorting isn't based on a parents' housing. Meanwhile, as you take your time getting over your pride and disappointment, a small boy is suffering probably from long term physical and emotional abuse and you are stopping me from finding out how best to help him. Now would you please fetch Granger and Longbottom so that this impending conversation can commence!"

"Fine! If you must insist so!" McGonagall stood swiftly from her desk and swept from the room through the side door that connected her office to the lion's common room. Snape remained stiffly in his chair waiting for her to return.

A few minutes later, the door was thrown open again and Minerva swept through it to fold herself gracefully once again into her previous chair. Coming after her stumbled two small children. The bushy haired girl immediately spotted Snape and stood up straight, giving a poor imitation of her head of house. The second child didn't spot the potions professor at first as he was trying his best to avoid face planting himself as he tripped over his own robes. When he did finally notice Snape, his face paled dramatically and unlike his female contour part hunched his shoulders and hung his head. He did not try to flee the office though as Snape had expected.

Both eleven year olds looked to Minerva for instructions. She gestured to the waiting Snape. "Professor Snape has some questions to ask you about one of his students."

The Slytherin took in the two nervous students, deciding he didn't fancy staying here any longer than necessary and got straight to the point. "Harry Potter from my house has been showing some worrying signs of abuse. I am to understand that you are both close friends of the boy and I want you to tell me everything about his behaviour and if he has mentioned anything about his home life."

For a moment, all the young Gryffindors did was process what the potions master was saying. When it had sunk in, Hermione was quick to answer. She was concerned about her friend and his worrying behaviour and had wanted to talk to a teacher about it for weeks. Admittedly, she didn't think the one asking it would be the dour potions master but he was still a concerned adult so it didn't matter.

"He's really shy. He barely talks at all, though he has been talking to us more since we first met. He hasn't said anything about his home life but he's really smart."

Snape raised an eyebrow at the girl. "I was under the impression that Potter was showing average competence for a first year and didn't answer any of the proposed questions in class?"

"Well, he can always answer them when we're alone and he's really good at potions and charms. He can already do most of the spells we learn before we get taught them in class. I think he's holding back and getting worse grades on purpose! It's just terrible!"

The girl sounded truly horrified at the prospect of someone not giving 110% in school work though Snape knew there were many more important concerns when it came to Harry. While her concerns did need addressing, maybe he had made a mistake coming to Granger. She may be a devilishly smart girl on paper but her sheltered life had apparently left her blind to some things.

"I assure you Miss Granger, I will talk to Potter and try to convince him to try harder in class. Was there anything else troubling you had noticed about Potter?" For once, Granger was silent and Snape was almost sure he had made a mistake coming to the Gryffindors for help when unexpectedly Neville took it upon himself to speak out.

"Touch! He doesn't like to be touched!" The boy ducked his head when all eyes turned to him at his outburst but concern for his friend made him carry on. "H-Harry flinches whoever a-anyone gets close and avoids getting near to people. H-he also looks ill whenever someone touches his back a-and students keep pranking him and sending hexes at him but he never reacts so most of them have stopped!" Seemingly exhausted and losing his flush of confidence fast, Neville clamped his mouth shut and hunched in on himself. Apparently, he had said all he was going to say.

Snape waited a beat to see if the bushy haired know it all would add anything to her shy friend's assessment but for once she was silent.

"Thank you for telling me this. It will allow me to help Potter more. However, I am concerned that if you noticed all this why you did not come to me or one of the other members of staff earlier?"

Hermione again was elected spokesperson for the pair. "We thought you would know. You are his head of house and it says that the heads of house are supposed to look out for their student's well welfare. We thought of going to Professor McGonagall but, well…she hadn't really shown any kindness to Harry so we thought she wouldn't be concerned." The girl looked mightily ashamed to portray her head of house in such a harsh light, especially to a Slytherin but she would do so for her small green eyed friend.

"Well, we know now and will of course do everything we can to help the boy." Surprisingly, it was Minerva that had spoken not Snape. She had been listening in silence to the whole conversation from her desk and turning over what Snape had told her earlier and had come to realise that the potions Professor had been true in his accusation of letting her pride and disappointment cloud her judgment when it came to Harry Potter. Listening to her own student's voice such worrying behaviour only cemented her want to make amends.

"Are you through Severus or is there anything else you wish to ask them? It is almost curfew."

"No Minerva, I am done. I'll be sure to address both of your concerns with Potter but do not expect miracles."

"Please sir, is there nothing we can do for Harry?" Hermione asked. Worry shinning in her brown eyes.

"Continue to be his friend Miss Granger and defend him as you just have. That will help him the most." Minerva said as she ushered the two eleven year olds out of the door and back to their beds.

Snape waited for them to leave before pinning the transfiguration professor with a harsh stare.

"What is with the change of heart Minerva? You seemed very dismissive of my concerns earlier." accused Snape.

"Well, I was wrong and you know it. I do believe you told me to stop sulking and I have done just that." Righteous fire seemed to leave the women instantly and she slumped into her chair, nothing at all like the previous graceful sweep. "I was terrible to him in class, you know." She admitted quietly. Snape sat in uncomfortable silence as she continued. He had little experience with comfort and was not going to practice on one of his old professors and current colleagues.

"He only sat at the front in the first lesson and some of the students hexed him silly. Only small things, nothing permanent or physically harmful but still I should have put a stop to it. I haven't spoken to him kindly once since he was sorted. I failed Lily and James, not only by allowing him to go to those terrible muggles 10 years ago but by allowing myself to be blind to the abuse and let it continue while he is here at school."

There was silence in the office. Minerva was quiet as she contemplated her sins against one small boy and Snape wished to leave and escape the emotional scene but knew he could not rightfully do so.

Clearing his throat loudly, Snape attempted to make his excuses. "Yes…well, I'm sure you can make it up to the brat by cuddling him. I have what I needed from your students and as you said, it is close to curfew. I best return to my own house and make sure they are all present."

Standing swiftly, Severus quickly made his way to the exit. He was not cut out for emotional breakdowns, though with his volunteering to help Potter through his emotional abuse, he got the feeling he would be dealing with a lot of them.

"Severus wait! If there is anything you need, anything I can do to help poor Harry, please tell me. I wish to do everything I can to help him and I hope you forgive me for being so dismissive of one of your student's welfare."

Again, Snape cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes…well, we have all made mistakes and the sorting took everyone by surprise. I'm sure Lily and …Potter won't think you have failed them too badly. Good night." He swiftly left the room so as to not be called back again for more awkward conversation.

As he made his way back to his own office and the Slytherin common room, Snape dearly hoped that the emotional scene just now wasn't the start of many more to come.

Seeing that messy head of hair once again curled up on the armchair near the fire, book hanging from one small hand and glasses squished against his nose, Snape knew his hope would be in vain.


	9. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Right here it is, the next chapter. Sorry for the wait but you know me by now. Never seem to get round to writing despite saying I will. Again sorry for the wait and despite that please review.

To be honest there isn't much in this chapter, but seeing as it took me almost 5000 words to do two bullet points on my plan and the chapter was meant to contain eight I decided to cut it off here.

Many thanks to my beta who gracefully puts up with me and is a huge help.

Don't know when ill get around to writing the next chapter so please be patient. Other than that please,

Enjoy.

**Chapter 13**

First thing the next morning while the sun was still struggling to break through the early morning fog as it climbs over the horizon, Professor Snape was awake and sweeping his way through the halls and up the many winding staircases to the owlery.

Most teachers had a personal owl but Snape had never been one to have close friends or much need for correspondence and had found that any needs he may have for the messenger birds could be fulfilled by the school owls.

Bringing a quill and small bottle of ink out from one of the many pockets in his billowing robe, the onyx eyed man quickly but neatly penned a short, to-the-point message on thick creamy parchment before tying it to the nearest alert looking bird.

"Deliver this to Harry Potter" he commanded. The owl looked at him drowsily and Snape briefly wondered if a younger more alert looking bird would be a better choice of carrier. He did not wish to have to enter the owlrey again, never having a liking for animals and definitely not fond of breathing the air thick with the smell of feathers, small animal carcasses and feed.

Not a second after the thought occurred to the potions professor, that the decision to find another bird was taken out of his hands. At the mentioning of his student's name, a snowy owl with magnificent white feathers speckled with black and sharp golden eyes had swopped upon the other duller looking bird and in a quick scuffle of scratching talons and biting beaks had acquired the letter, no worse for wear and was holding it securely in her beak.

Her head turned at a right angle to her shoulder to regard Snape with an unnerving stare. The potions master found himself in a match of wills with the bird, wondering at its behaviour before realising that even his most quelling glare would have no effect on the glowing golden eyes.

Finding himself angry at his loss, Snape broke the gaze and almost tried to strangle the bird when it tipped its head imperiously and chirped sharply in arrogant triumph. Not wanting to resort to animal cruelty though and reminding himself that the snowy owl was just a piece of dull poultry, he swept quickly back down the icy steps to the relative warmth of the inner castle. Assuming, that his letter would be delivered anyway.

Behind him, Hedwig perched securely on a window ledge and held onto her cargo securely. Her boy had been kind to her, giving her treats and stroking her just right that she was starting to regret not seeming to be of any service to him. Her boy was such a small little chick that he obviously needed some care. Now that she finally had a task she could do for him, despite it being given to her by the dour tall man, she would not fail.

So still as a statue, the snowy owl waited for the rays of the growing sun to break through the fog; a truly (true) start (to) the day. When it had, she flapped her wings once and glided effortlessly in silence into the light, ready to find her boy.

XXX

Harry shuffled quickly through the doors of the great hall during breakfast the very same day. Sitting nervously on the end of the Slytherin table as he always did, the green eyed boy glanced to the head table and ducked his head upon seeing his imposing head of house staring in his direction. The professor had said he could eat what he wished from now on if it meant he would not be sick but his professor still frowned at him when he only nibbled on toast.

Harry didn't know what was going on in his head of house's head. He had seen his scars but hadn't done anything to punish him for being an ungrateful freak like he knew the professor should. Now, he was telling him to eat what he wanted while before he had been forcing him to eat so much, even though normally he was told to eat nothing at all. Harry didn't know why the potions professor was being so kind to a freak like him but could only think that it was a cruel trick like Aunt Petunia sometimes liked to play. Telling him he could have a sweets and forcing him to take them before cruelly snatching them away before he could get the slightest taste of the sweet candy. All the green eyed boy could do was wait for the second shoe to drop and punishment to be bestowed upon him.

It was while hesitantly reaching for a second piece of toast under his head of house's watchful gaze that the post started to arrive. Harry hunched his shoulders and couldn't repress a flinch at all the owls flying around him. He still remembered all the large feathered raptors sweeping down on him and delivering the smoking howling red letters that almost deafened him and the other, more terrible hate messages. Strangely, Harry hadn't received any more of the letters since the first barrage. The small boy had no idea why but he was immensely relived to not have to read any more of those cruel words.

It was with great surprise then that Harry saw Hedwig, easy to distinguish amongst the other brown birds, swooping towards him silently. She landed in front of him and nudges him affectionately to take the letter that was grasped in her beak. Harry could feel some of the Slytherins glancing at him and Hedwig curiously. Harry hid himself behind his messy bangs while the snowy owl lifted herself haughtily and blinked at the rest of the table slowly once before helping herself to a dish full of bacon. Making sure to keep an eye on her boy.

Keeping his head bowed, Harry saw the spidery script of his head of house across the front of the folded parchment and felt his stomach drop. Fingers shaking, he opened the letter under the table and quickly read the short note, his shaking increasing as each word soaked in as terror welled up within him and lodged itself in his throat.

Mr. Potter, I will see you in my office this evening at six for a long overdue meeting. You shall be punctual and detention will be given if you dare not arrive.

Professor Snape.

Hedwig glanced towards her boy and hopped over to him. She could feel the fear coming of the boy in waves and knew it was because of the letter. She would have taken the note from the boy's hands had he not been holding it under the table. How dare the dark tall man send something that hurt her boy? The snowy owl briefly thought about flying over to where the dark man sat and ripping at him with her talons in retribution but decided her boy needed her more.

Preening the dark hair from his eyes, she chirped and nipped at his ears affectionately. A small skinny hand came up slowly to stroke her back and tickle her chin. A few moments later when Harry had managed to swallow the lump of anxiety and fear back down and calm his shaking, he stood slowly and left the hall. Not daring to look towards his head of house in case he shows any weakness.

He was sure now that the punishment he had been waiting for was coming and could only pray that his professor would show some mercy. Hedwig watched her boy leave and turned her head to glare at the man to give her the terrible note that hurt her boy. He was already standing and striding out of the hall by the side door so she had no time to punish him for harming her boy.

With one more imperious ruffle of her feathers, she took off once again on her silent wings. Heading back to the owlery and hoping her boy would be ok. Behind her, she left many curious Slytherins, a clean platter of bacon and an abandon half slice of toast.

XXX

Almost to spite him, the terror and anxiety over the dreaded meeting with his head of house that evening seemed to make the time fly by for the young Slytherin. To Harry, he barely blinked an eye after leaving the great hall that day at breakfast before he was standing outside the imposing wood and iron worth door. Belatedly, Harry noticed that a few of Salazar's smaller snakes were slipping in and out of the shadows along the stone by his feet, no doubt keeping an eye on him but they did little to stop his stomach from churning in fear.

The eleven year old just couldn't bring himself to knock on the door. He knew that professor said to be punctual and that by loitering he was only making his punishment worse but he was trembling far too much to lift his hand and he doubted any knock he gave in his current state would sound through the thick wood.

The professor had promised not to send him to the Dursleys. Even been kind to him and offered gentle words but Harry knew he could not trust the word of adults. To many betrayals, to many broken promises and false hopes for mercy squashed ruthlessly by his relatives until; he dare not hope at all.

As he was, Harry worried that the physical effort it would take to bring his hand to the door and knock would cause him to faint. Just the thought of his professor grading essays behind his desk in the office beyond was enough to have him near hyperventilating.

The thought of knocking need not have troubled the young boy though for only seconds after he had arrived at the imposing door was it swung open before him by Professor Snape. The scowl on his face and normal black bellowing robes doing nothing to calm the small boy's nerves and only served to make his frame seize up in fright. Snape gave him a long stare before motioning silently into the room, indicating the chair set facing the desk where Harry was meant to sit.

Harry wondered if the professor wanted him to bend over the chair and deliver the thrashing he was sure was coming. He didn't know what rules he had broken but he had gone so long without his usual punishments, he was sure that by now he may have broken half a dozen. There were just so many he didn't know!

Snape had heard the small 'ting!' that alerted him to someone approaching his office door a few seconds before the clock on the far wall struck six. When after several moments no knock came, the potions professor decided to just let Potter in himself.

Opening the door, Snape briefly considered giving the boy a lecture about being on time and the general use of knocking when he saw the boy almost paralyzed and decided against it. He watched the boy freeze, his shoulders hunched and hands clenched at his sides. A classic sign of a well ingrained flight or fight response.

Instead of lecturing him, he simply moved aside to allow the first year entrance and indicated the chair opposite his own on the other side of the desk. Snape had thought that Potter may prefer a more informal setting and it had occurred to him to invite him through to his personal quarters but his instinctive protectiveness of his privacy and unease with the situation had over ruled the urge.

If nothing else, Potter should be slightly reassured with the solid presence of the desk between them. Especially seeing as the boy was as petrified of him now as he was when he first entered Hogwarts halls, despite all his reassurances. He had told Poppy he wasn't the right man for this job. Better to have the boy talk to her or even Minarva, people who know how to offer comfort and would have no qualms coddling the boy rather that the snappish ways of his boarish head of house.

Sitting at his desk, Snape pretended to busy himself with the papers there. Fifth years essays that he had already liberally corrected and marked with red ink but the illusion of disinterest worked in allowing the young Slytherin to calm himself and shuffle across the room. From beneath his lashes, Snape watched the boy as he made his way across the room and this time really _looked_ at him.

The first thing he noticed was his clothing. Hanging of the boy like drapes, far too big for his lanky frame and his robe in constant danger of tripping him. The muggle trainers poking out from underneath his feet were woefully too big and split in more that one place. Snape was surprised the boy could even walk in them without falling constantly on his face.

So the muggles did not provide him with adequate clothing as well as starving and beating the child as he found out earlier. The picture of abuse was getting darker and darker by the minute.

Secondly, he observed the boys posture. His entire stance screamed submission. No doubt he had had the urge to defend himself beaten out of him. He jumped at the slightest rustling of parchment and his shoulders were constantly hunched in an effort to hide his face and protect him from the blows his short life had reined upon him. Finally, he seemed to have constant tremors running through him, though he tried to hide it by clenching his fists in his over sized robes and every slight movement was hesitant, waiting for a blow to reign down upon him at any moment in reprimand for a perceived wrong.

Snape sneered as Potter finally acquired his seat and the potions master finished his observations for the time being in preparations for trying to talk to the boy. No doubt, Potter view everything as a perceived wrong. Such as being alive!

The meeting had only just started and already Severus' last illusions of Harry being James were shattered, bringing up worse memories of a too tall lanky haired youth who had shown all too similar signs at the time but coped in a much different way. He had been clinging, clawing at his denial, willing himself to hold onto it. To not acknowledge the truth in front of him. An insistent wish that everything was not as it seemed, but he could no longer fool his own conscious.

Harry was not and never would be James. Right now, he was an abused child to afraid to even breathe in the presence of adults and it was his duty to help him. Severus felt woefully inadequate.

People don't often see what they don't want to. Other times, the truth is forced upon them, whether they wish it or not.

XXX

Snape levelled his gaze at the boy across from him and Harry shrunk into himself further. It was obvious to even the most dim-witted observer that the boy held no trust for the potions master and was in fact terrified of the imposing man. Snape knew this and cursed himself for his own pettiness and stupidity. Tormenting the boy with sarcastic comments and harsh detention during the first few weeks of school had been fun when he could view the boy as James Potter's clone; doing so while viewing the boy as the abused eleven year old, he was left a heavy feeling of guilt in his stomach.

His own actions of punishing the boy for minor infractions must mean that the young Slytherin viewed him as little better than his guardians even without the physical abuse. Severus had no idea why Poppy thought he was the best person for the job of helping an emotionally scared child. He himself was damaged and had little patience. Overcoming his previous treatment and winning the boy's trust was going to be a test in patience if nothing else. Getting Harry to open up about the abuse he suffered wasn't even an issue at this point in time. Just looking at the bent head of messy hair, Snape knew that if he asked he would receive only denials as his answer.

Small, he reminded himself. He had to start small with Potter, inconsequential things to begin with then the abuse.

"Potter," the boy visibly started in his chair and his thin fingers grabbed the armrests in a white knuckled grip. "What would I get if I added powdered root of mandrake, crushed werewolf fangs and essence of nightshade and what procedures would I follow in the brewing?"

Finally, that messy head of hair rose to look at him and he made contact with the boy's eyes. The temptation just to use surface legilimens was a strong temptation. He could begin to feel himself slipping into the boy's mind even as he railed in his self control. No! The point of these chats was to gain the boy's trust. Violating that trust by illegally plundering the boy's mind was not the way to go about it. Even if the person in question would have no idea he had been violated in such away.

Pulling his mind once again into his own head with great effort, Snape waited with mounting impatience of the answer. Maybe the boy really didn't know.

"Errr, eerr y-you'd get t-the potion sedo volatilis u-used a-as a s-strong p-p-pain reliever or c-cure f-for petrifaction. U-ummmm, y-you w-would have to h-harvest the m-mandrake during the f-full moon s-so it could r-react with the werewolf c-claws and…and, um a-add p-poppy seeds w-while heating s-strongly to n-n-neutralise the p-poison of the n-nightshade…I t-think, s-sir."

Harry stumbled through his answer unsure as to how he should react and what the professor expected of him. Snape's gaze had not left his since he had asked the question and with a start, Harry realised he had been staring into the professor's eyes rudely for some time now. He immediately ducked his head once again upon this discovery, gripping the arms of his chair even tighter. Harry cursed himself for his own stupidity, sure that he had only made the punishment he was going to receive worse by his disrespect. He was vaguely surprised the professor hadn't walloped him one already. Uncle Vernon would have thrashed him at even thinking of looking him in the eye.

Snape nodded, though he realised a moment later that the boy would not see the gesture as he had once again returned to staring pointedly at his feet. Irritation coursed through him and the wish to snap at the boy for his disrespect rose within him. The potions master almost bit his tongue in an effort to stop the scathing reprimand he wished to bestow upon the Slytherin.

"That is correct Potter. Though, you failed to mention the time needed to heat the potion to burn off all impurities and the need to stir once every hour counter clockwise as needed." Snape was nit picking and he knew it but woe betided his eternal optimism to actually succeed in imparting some knowledge of his art into dunderhead brains. It did appear though that Granger's assessment that the boy was holding back in class was accurate. It wasn't the most pressing of issues to address but getting the boy to improve in his school work and encouraging his academic prowess conformed to his need to start things small.

If it also happened to be the only subject the potions master was comfortable talking about with Potter; that was just an added boon.

Panic raced through his small frame. Rushing through his blood and causing his stomach to flip as the cold hand of terror griped his heart. He had got something wrong! The professor said so! Now there was no doubt that his head of house knew just how stupid and how much of a freak he was. Oh, he was going to get such a walloping or maybe Snape would just break his promise and send him packing back to the Dursleys, never to even speak of magic again. Heavy sadness settled in him alongside his fear. Mortified, Harry could feel the prick of tears gathering in his eyes and squeezed them shut in an effort to stop the flow. Bending his head further away from the man in front of him.

"Overall, your answer was correct Potter" Snape rushed out, in a clumsy attempt to reassure the small Slytherin. He had seen the shoulders beginning to shake once again as they had done when the boy first entered the room and worried that if the conversation continued along the same vain as before, Potter would succumb to another panic attack. His nerves still hadn't recovered from the first one. He so wasn't cut out for this. He would prefer to go back to spying for the dark lord!

"Now, tell me Potter why it is you have no trouble answering a third year question in my office but have trouble answering a first year one in my classroom?" Snape raised one questioning eyebrow in a masterful movement born of practice but once again it was lost on Potter as he still refused to meet his gaze.

The question threw Harry, as did the admission of him being correct. Hadn't the professor just told him he got the question wrong? In his surprise, his shaking stopped and the panic receded, making him feel calmer but no less bemused.

"Ummmm, ummmm…" what could he say. He held back because his relatives beat him if he got scores better that Dudley. That he was a stupid freak and it was just a fluke others could do much better. Dudley wasn't here, so it was impossible for him to get better marks than him and it didn't seem as if Snape was concerned with other people at the moment. Feeling ignorant and small, all Harry could do was shake his head and shrug despondently.

Snape deplored shrugging, preferring people to give a more eloquent verbal answer to his questions but with difficulty, he let it slide this once. It was obvious the boy was thrown for a loop but he answered his question honestly…sort of, no need to take one step forward and two steps back by being sharp with Potter now.

"Well, seeing as you can not think of a reasonable answer for your actions, I am telling you that I expect a dramatic improvement in your lessons and quality of your essays and not only in my class but your others as well. I will not have you bringing down Slytherin house by pretending ignorance in your lessons. Is that understood?"

Surprise caused Harry to raise his head and release the arms of his chair. Instead, leaning forward to grip the edge of the desk in much the same way and peer up at Snape in a combination of shock, fear, hope and something close to awe. All of it made the dark man most uncomfortable, emotions were not his forte.

"Y-you mean you w-want me to…_try?" _Harry was completely in shock by the unimaginable concept. Enough so that he forgot all hesitation about meeting his head of house's eyes. The professor was telling him that he was meant to do well in his lessons. That he wasn't meant to pretend. It was so different from the Dursleys view of life,that he couldn't help but be excited.

Snape cleared his throat gruffly, trying to regain some of his equilibrium. Being stared at like that by such bright green eyes made it surprisingly hard to breathe for some reason.

"Not only do I expect you to try, I expect you to do your very best like all your other peers. You will not get in trouble for doing your best Potter," the boy blinked at him owlishly in surprise, thrown by the concept of no punishment, "but you will be punished, by detention with me," he hurried to clarify, "if you do not try your best. Do I make myself clear? I will not have you bring yourself…or Slytherin house, down." He added Slytherin house almost as an after thought, knowing the boy felt no unity to his house mates but thinking he would be more likely to accept his reasoning if he had an apparent reason for it other than the boy's own welfare.

That Harry could understand though it didn't diminish his wonder at the situation any less. Of course, the professor didn't want him making a fool of his house but that obviously meant that Snape though he _could_ do well and not be a stain on Slytherin's reputation. His wonder was such that for several seconds, Harry did nothing but stare at his head of house.

Snape grew uncomfortable quickly under the bright green eyes and deciding that he had made enough progress for the day and that coming to terms himself with the boy's abuse was enough, stood from behind the desk.

The movement was enough to alert him to the fact he staring at his professor in the eye and he too stood. Though more out of sudden fright than anything else. This was it; what he had been expecting since Hedwig delivered Snape's note this morning. Not sure if he should wait for Snape's demand or bend over the chair in a position for a thrashing himself, Harry shifted his wait nervously. Vernon liked it if he showed eagerness but the professor seemed to do things differently. It was all very confusing for the small boy.

"It is getting late Potter and you still have homework to complete no doubt. I will see you again in potions and at all meals," Snape glared, just to make sure the brat wasn't thinking of skipping meals once again. He had been attending them regularly since his break down in the bathroom but he couldn't tell if the boy was contemplating starving himself again for some imagined infraction.

Again, Harry found himself staring at his professor in both surprise, wonderment and not a small amount of disbelief. That was it! Snape had just wanted to talk. Where was his punishment? And the shouting; Snape hadn't even raised his voice during the whole meeting! All they had discussed was school work and now the professor was telling him to leave.

With great hesitancy, Harry followed his head of house across the room to the door which Snape opened in front of him. This meant that to leave the office, Harry had to pass directly in front of the potions master and well within his reach. The boy stopped dead in his tracks at this realisation and waited for something to happen.

His heart once again squeezed by fear and throat tight on disappointment. Of course, he wouldn't be able to leave without punishment. Harry forced himself to continue towards the door.

Snape watched the boy with sharp eyes and saw his hesitation. He thought of moving and giving the boy room but decided not to. The boy would have to walk past him and it would help to cement his relationship and trust with the boy for him to do so without any punishment befalling him. It may only be a small thing but it would, hopefully, be the start in making the boy feel safe around him.

Harry pressed himself as far away from his head of house as he could while still being able to walk through the door. Head bowed, the young Slytherin almost tripped over his overly long robe in his hurry to pass through the entrance and be out of Snape's reach. Expecting to be pulled back by his robes any moment, Harry didn't dare breath. It was empty, for even the Slytherins did not seek professor Snape out for anything other than an emergency but Harry wasn't concerned with that.

Muscles tense. Ready for pain and reprimand, Harry stumbled in relief when all his head of house did was utter a clipped, "Good Evening Potter" and the sound of the door closing firmly behind him reached his ears.

Disbelief replaced terror rapidly and at the closing of the office. He really hadn't been punished! Snape had really only wanted to talk! About school stuff! He had been told, no commanded, to do his best. He knew he was still stupid but now he could do his best maybe the teachers would be able to see just how _hard_ he was trying and not send him back. He was staying at Hogwarts!

In a daze, Harry stumbled his way down and out the corridor to the Slytherin common room. Still reeling from disbelief and with a growing feeling of wonder blossoming in his chest; causing a silly care free grin, the first he can remember ever wearing to slip onto his face.


	10. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Hi there, sorry for the wait. Not much to say about this chap. It's needed for the story but is a bit of a filler. Sorry if any of you think this story is going at a slow pace but I want to take the time to develop the relationships realistically.

Thanks again to my beta, who is as good and patient as always.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 14**

Snape moodily sat himself down in the bright red sagging armchair. The overstuffed cushions almost swallowed his thin frame whole and he knew without having to be told that he looked entirely out of place in the red, maroon and soft brown interior of Minerva's personal quarters. Glaring at his teacup in an effort to make the over sweetened brew within vanish, Severus waited for Poppy and Minerva to settle themselves upon the similarly overstuffed sofa next to him.

To his right sat a raging hearth fire, artfully decorated with knick knacks and a faded Gryffindor Quidditch scarf. The two women were directly opposite the orange flames while Snape himself sat slightly to the side of the mantel. Between them sat a low lying dark mahogany table, the legs shaped into lion claws-what else-and sinking deep into the brown rug beneath. Upon the table sat a silver tea set, brought in earlier by a bowing house-elf. Sneering once more at his own cup of the copper liquid, Severus placed it back down disdainfully without taking a sip.

Minerva didn't take this as an insult. She knew how snarky the Slytherin Head of House could be. His attitude had only got pricklier since he first entered Hogwarts at the tender age of eleven. Taking a sip of her own tea, her action was mimicked by an equally quiet Poppy beside her. All three adults sat in silence, unsaid words hanging between them.

"What are we to do about poor Harry?" It was spoken quietly but the weight of the question rung like the clattering of a gong in the silence of the room.

Minerva breathed out heavily in regret before placing her own half drunken cup next to Severus's discarded one. She longingly wished for something stronger than tea to calm her nerves but now was not the time.

"The question should be, what _can_ we do about poor Harry? I myself have no relationship with him and am not sure of the particulars of the abuse. You yourself know better than I do what would be best for him Poppy."

A third cup joined the others on the table. Just remembering those terrible scars left the matrons hands shaking. "For his physical health, he needs plenty of food and rest. Has he been taking the potion I prescribed to him Severus?" The dour man nodded, steepling his hands in front of his face and scowling at the table. "That should help him gain some weight. I healed most of the other physical injuries but I worry he may be suffering from stress brought on by fear and anxiety. This could slow down his body's recovery and prevent him from gaining weight as quickly as I would like. With winter getting closer and his terrible lack of body fat, I worry that the boy's compromised immune system would have little defence against an offset of hyperthermia."

"I see...do you believe it would be necessary to call in a healer from to help the boy were this to happen?" Minerva worried her bottom lip, a bad habit she had had since childhood. "We would have to tell the Headmaster if so."

"If the boy stays warm and gains some weight, I do not believe so but a serious case of hyperthermia would mean a visit to . I simply do not have the resources to deal with such a thing in a school infirmary, no matter how good Severus' potions are…I am reluctant to tell the headmaster though." She added thoughtfully.

"Why so?"

"Oh, do not be as daft as the rest of your despicable house Minerva!" Snape interrupted abruptly, the first time he had spoken since entering the room. "The headmaster is not blind nor is he senile. It is possible that he already knows what the child has suffered."

"Surely not!" cried the gray haired witch.

Snape sneered once again. Bitterness dripping off his tongue. "Maybe not, but even with all that we have learned he is unlikely to drop everything to help a Slytherin. You know how just how prejudice can blind a person when they cannot afford to be blind. The man is already worried that his supposed Gryffindor golden boy is in fact the next dark lord."

"But that's preposterous. The poor boys only eleven!" Poppy cried. Dismayed that fortune continued to shine such a cold light on the fragile Slytherin in question. Minerva remained quiet; for she knew what Severus was saying was all to true. Prejudice made people blind, including herself until not so long ago.

"Please, the fact the boy is Slytherin is enough to make him dark to three quarters of the school and simpering idiots that are the general public. The expectation for the boy to have great power, enough to defeat the dark lord when he was only an infant makes him dangerous in the headmaster's eyes. It is unlikely he would move to help the boy or that he will show any sympathy towards the situation…at least at the current time."

Silence reigned down once again. Minerva had her head bowed still in her shame and Poppy had run out of arguments to give. Against pure Slytherin realist cynicism, there was nothing they could say.

Snape breathed in deeply through his nose and once again relaxed himself into the squishy chair. "What we should be asking ourselves is what we are going to do about the despicable muggles?" The sneer was back, along with a fierce glower.

"There is little we can do as you well know Severus." Reminded Minerva, raising her head at last. She glanced at the younger professor over her spectacles and pursed her lips at the glint of challenge she saw in his eyes. "At least legally and we will do this legally Severus!" Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help her lips from twitching when the dour man huffed and crossed his arms, sulking like an overgrown child.

"Unless Harry confesses to the abuse, there is nothing we can do to punish the muggles at the moment. I assume he has not said anything to you. I know that you met with him earlier this evening?"

Snape shook his head. His black hair flung about his face. "I thought not. Even if we could get the boy to confess in court, there is the matter of the media. As you yourself said, their opinion of the boy is flaky at best. There is no telling how they would react."

There was another sneer. Though, this time it was gracing the face of Poppy. "They would either condemn the boy to hell through their ripping into him or there would be riots in the streets as they called out for the muggles blood."

Snape tilted his head in agreement to her assessment but Minerva was already talking.

"Well, there is only one thing we can do then." She announced with a tone of finality.

Both Poppy and Severus looked at her curiously, waiting to see if any more information was forthcoming. When it appeared it wouldn't, Poppy decided to ask the obvious question.

"And that would be?"

"We make his time at Hogwarts as comfortable as we can. We can deal with where he will go in the summer holidays when we come to them. I assume we are all in agreement that letting him go back to those muggles, blood wards or not, is unacceptable." Two firm nodded of approval were her answer.

"It seems as if Poppy has the boy's physical well being well in hand. Though, perhaps regular check-ups would be helpful." Another agreeing nod from the matron, "Then it only leaves the boy's mental scars to be treated. We need to gain the boy's trust and show that we are willing to protect him from any harm. Hopefully, that would help with the anxiety you talked about Poppy."

"Most likely. The tension derives from the constant fear of punishment he lives in. If he were to find an adult he could trust and a confident to confine in, I would be much less worried about any possible physical side effects deriving from stress."

"Then we are in agreement. Harry will spend time with one of us once a week in an effort to get him to trust us, open up about the abuse and hopefully avoid a trip to the mind healers."

Both women turned to look expectantly at Snape, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange. Finding both of his previous professors and current colleagues looking at him with suspiciously hopefully eyes, he jumped to his feet.

"You cannot seriously be considering me as Potter's confident. The boy is terrified of my very presence and well he should be for I am not a pleasant man and do not have the patience to coddle an abused child. You are either deranged or senile if you think I will agree to this!"

Minerva only huffed before once again picking up her tea and reheating it with a quick charm, sipping at it calmly. She was a lot more relaxed now that they had found at least a small way to help the young Slytherin and as far as she was concerned, the matter of who was to council the boy was already settled.

Poppy reacted differently from her long time friend and too stood to confront Severus. Though, with her prim white uniform and petit frame it was a lot less impressive. Despite this, the forceful expression upon the matrons face was enough to make Severus alarmed and waver in his firm stance. It grated on the man's nerves how this woman could make him feel like an unruly child with just one look. He never should have taken a teaching position up at his old alma mater!

"Severus Snape, I have told you once before and I will tell you again. You are the person the boy trusts most at this time and as his Head of House, you are the obvious candidate for taking responsibility of his mental recovery. You also happen to have intimate knowledge of how a child in this situation feels." She added more quietly, her voice changing from reprimanding to sympathetic but never altering in its firmness.

Snape gritted his teeth. So what if he had already met with the child, vowed to help him, protect him and felt sympathy for his dire situation? He was not a kind man! He didn't know how to coddle an abused eleven year old nor did he want to! For Merlin's sake his patience, or lack of it, was a well known to everyone that had meet him. He would not do it!

Despite his continued protests that night, three arguments and a shouting match later, another two cups of tea for Minerva and a few days spent fuming (definitely not sulking! No matter what that old Gryffindor hag thought!) He found much to his dissatisfaction that he was.

Bloody Gryffindor stubbornness, he couldn't win!

XXX

Glowering ominously as he watched the last of the first years hastily hand in their finished potions and essays on essence of murtlap, Snape once again cursed all that was Gryffindor. For good measure, he also cursed meddling old biddies though he would never call Minerva and Poppy that within hearing range. There was no telling what women skilled in transfiguration and human anatomy could do to him and Severus was not in a hurry to find out.

As usual, Neville was the one to bumble his way up to his desk, both he and Harry's essays and potions in hand. The boy barely managed the short walk without falling over and it was a miracle that the two vials were given to him intact. Potter had not once approached his desk since his first disastrous potions lesson.

Looking back, Snape knew the boy had been tripped, his anger no longer clouding him to Miss Granger's explanations and knew the boy did not wish for a repeat of the incident. Considering the way Snape himself had punished the boy, he could not blame him.

Still, it meant instead of being able to talk to the boy normally he had to call out across the classroom to get his attention. Raising his voice over the clatter of the students packing their things away, making for a hasty retreat from the potions master, who had been in a foul mood all Monday morning.

"Potter, stay after class." The young boy jumped at the sound of his name before wilting. All eyes glanced at the bowed head of hair quickly but were more eager to level than to make fun of the poor Slytherin. Neville looked to his friend on concerned but Harry averted his eyes. Across the room, he could see Hermione doing the same but ignored her questioning stare as well.

It had all been going so well! He had even began to think that the man was kind and would possibly, just possibly, keep his promise about not expelling him and sending him back to the Dursleys. He should have known it was too good to be true. The man had been to kind, it could only have been a trick. Telling him he could eat what he liked and sleep where he liked, and without a single punishment insight other than that first detention. It just wasn't possible for life to be that good for a freak like him. Everyone always found out eventually just exactly how abnormal he was and what he deserved.

He couldn't bear to look at his friends- imagine that, he had friends!-only for them to turn away from him in disgust when Snape revealed him for the dirty urchin he was.

The classroom cleared quickly. Hermione and Neville hovered around the door uncertainly but a piercing glare from Snape had them leaving quickly. With a flick of his wand, Snape slammed the door firmly on their retreating backs and ensured his and the boy's privacy.

He was loath to do what he was about to do. His privacy and free time were sacred to him after such a life of continued humiliation and now he was expected to let the boy in, it rattled his nerves. Looking at the bowed head and hunched shoulders, still much to thin through the bulky robes, he knew that refusing was inadmissible. The boy needed his help and whether he or Potter liked the arrangement, he was the best person to provide it.

"Potter, do not linger at the back of the classroom so, come forward boy."

Harry flinched at the word boy but hid it well. His uncle often called him boy in such a despicable way as to make him cower from the word. It was as bad as freak.

Wondering if the man was going to have him bend over a stool and cane him, Harry shuffled forward. His robe dragging on the floor and his eyes firmly fixed upon it. The shaking was back.

Snape could see the same submissive and broken behaviour that the boy had been showing every time he was within his presence, and Minerva and Poppy thought he could build a trust between himself and Potter? He was right to say that the Slytherin almost had a panic attack whenever he was within his presence, barring the few times he had had approached him without his knowledge.

Getting it over with seemed to be the most logical of options. Potter would already be forced to withstand his presence without fainting far more than he was sure both of them were comfortable with. No need to increase the time the boy had to spend in his loathed company.

"As you know in our last meeting, it became apparent that you were not trying as hard as you can in class. I made it clear then and I will make it clear now that I do not expect you to embarrass me or the Slytherin house by being a lack lustre student. You are instructed once again to do your very best in all your classes." He gave the boy a brief glare just to get the message through.

Harry nodded quickly. His professor had only told him this yesterday. Did he expect him to already have forgotten or did he know that he was scared to do as he was instructed and was making sure he wouldn't disobey?

"While this will be adequate for your other classes, I have decided that for potions this just won't be enough to make up for your mediocre performance thus far. To compensate this, you will be coming to my office every Thursday at seven for a remedial potions lesson. I shall also be expecting you to listen to me when I explain…your many misconceptions of the world. Understood?"

For a minute, all Harry could do was stare at the man from under his bangs. Remedial potions, but he wasn't doing that bad! What the professor said was true though, he hadn't been trying his best and it seemed to have embarrassed his Head of House, as he should have known it would. It seemed his utter stupidity had been discovered by the potions master and the man was taking measures to correct it.

Harry knew it would be hopeless. How many times had uncle Vernon told his that his stupidity was inherited from his parents and that he would never amount to anything, not like his precious Dudley. What did the professor mean by misconceptions? Had he done something wrong and not realised it? It sounded an awfully lot like a fancy way of saying punishment to poor Harry.

Scared of the coming meeting but even more scared by Snape's growing impatience at his lack of response, Harry offered as hesitant "yes, sir" before almost flying out of the room after his dismissal. Leaving his shattered expectations of a kinder Snape dying on the chilled dungeon floor.

Outside, Neville and Hermione were waiting for him. Normally, Harry would have been overjoyed at this show of friendship and concern but he couldn't bear to talk to them now. Just wishing to forget the whole thing had happened and unwilling to think about this coming Thursday, just three days away. Still when they asked, he couldn't just ignore them; he had no wish for his friends to hate him, despite knowing they would when they discovered he was a freak.

"I have remedial potions for not trying hard enough during the beginning of term." He quietly confided. The three friends disappeared around the corner, heading to the library as had become routine. Hermione bemoaning Harry for not trying his best while sympathising with him. Neville fearful for his friend, thankful it wasn't him and confused, seeing as he knew himself to be much worse at potions than Harry was. Harry just let their words wash over him, he wasn't listening.

XXX

Finding the headmaster waiting outside of his classroom after the sixth bell, signalling the end of the last lesson was not something Snape wanted. However, it wasn't something he was unprepared for. It still wasn't obvious to the old spy where his employer stood in terms of supporting Potter but the man had shown a willingness to allow harm to come to the boy before. Snape had the memory of watching young Harry read every single hate letter sent to him silently upon his bed stored safely in his pensive.

"Headmaster" Snape greeted, waiting for the last of the sixth years to exit the potions lab before waving the man on inside. Unusually, the headmaster did not seem jovial today and did not take the invitation to be seated. Sitting once again behind his own desk, Snape kept his face carefully neutral. Ready to let the older man make the first move.

"Severus, my boy it has come to my attention that you have assigned young Harry remedial potions lessons of all things."

Snape remained silent as the headmaster gazed at him expectantly over his half mooned spectacles. The man's garish purple robe with yellow stars twinkled at him and he had to resist sneering. Seeing that the Slytherin Head of House had no intention of humouring him with information to his open ended statement, the headmaster switched to the direct approach.

"Do you not think this a bit extreme my boy? The boy has not been here for even a term and from the other teachers' reports he is at least average academically. Do you not think it a little early to be assigning remedial lessons?"

"No Headmaster, I do not think this extreme in the least. The boy has been slacking in my class and needed the extra tutoring. I will not have one of my Slytherins disgrace himself and the house so easily."

"But surely, so soon into the year it is not necessary. Why not wait for the boy to catch up? I am sure young Harry is simply overwhelmed, what with finding out he's a wizard and being thrust into the wizarding world."  
>"That has no baring Headmaster. Many of your precious muggleborns are in the exact same position. Whether you think it to be too early or not for the boy to have remedial lessons with me personally is none of your concern. The boy is in <em>my<em> house and as such I will assign him the work as I see fit." Seeing the headmaster ready to continue to argue his case Snape continued. Rising from his chair as he did so to put himself at the same eye level with the older man. "You saw it fit to leave the boy's welfare to me before when you washed your hands of him earlier this term Headmaster. All howlers are scanned by the school for their contents before being allowed to enter."

He had won and both he and the Headmaster knew it. Snape was right; Albus had neglected his duties and was paying for it now by having almost no say in the Boy-Who-Lived life. As he took his leave and headed once again up to his office, Albus reflected that maybe letting those letters through because of his own unease over the boy's placement in the house of the snakes had not been one of his better moments. It seemed to be costing him dearly not only in his ability to find out about young Harry and guide the boy to his prophesised destiny but in the trust his spy and long time friend Severus held in him.

Sitting once again in his office, Snape steepled his hands in front of him and closed his eyes. Letting the absolute stillness of the room aid in his occolumancy and the sorting of his thoughts. He did not like to be at odds with the Headmaster. He not only owed the man a great debt for allowing him a chance to redeem himself after his unforgivable mistakes but he had come to trust the man and view the wizened old warlock as a friend. Snape knew just how fragile such relations could be and did not wish to break them with his own words but there was a small eleven year old boy relying on him, whether he knew it or not, to help him through the abuse of his relatives and make sure he never befell it again. He could not, even with his sometimes dubious conscience, abandon Potter.

Letting out a tired sigh, he still could not fathom if the Headmaster was shunning to boy or simply weary of the house of Slytherin and the influence Snape and his housemates may bestow upon Harry. He was certain the Headmaster was not aware of Potter's friendship with the two new Gryffindors. Snape was sure the Boy-Who-Lived hanging out with people from his most beloved house would have eased the Headmaster's fears somewhat.

Retiring to his personal quarters, a half bottle of the finest French wine and the grading of the essays handed in that day, Snape pushed the confrontation from his mind and patiently waited for Thursday and the first of his official 'healing' meetings with Potter.


	11. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hi there, sorry if this chap seems a bit rushed as I am going on holiday for two weeks and will probably crash for a week afterwards of the lazies (you know what I mean!) I wanted to get a chapter out before I left.

The scenes in this are quite important but I personally feel as if I left something out in the middle and that the dialogue is boring. What do you think?

Please, please review. Criticism not flames accepted. Don't tell me why you don't like my story, either tell me how to improve it to your liking or don't read it. I'm not forcing you to.

For a few people who are saying this is way OCC, it is AU! I thought that was obvious and so its allowed to be OCC.

Sorry for the ranting, just wanted to get that of my chest. Many thanks again for my beta who did an amazing job on figuring out what all my crap spelling actually meant and got back to me in record time. You are a star!

I think that's about it from me.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 15**

For Harry, three days slipped past far too quickly. Just as before, the small Slytherin was terrified to knock upon his head of house's office door but knew this time not to linger. After barely brushing his knuckles against the wood; Harry waited for the commanding "Enter" to be issued from within before pushing the door open, slipping through and hurriedly making his way to the same chair as before, head bowed respectfully.

Snape observed the boy as before as he huddled in on himself in the armchair and clasped his hands tightly in front of him. The fear was still evident and Severus wondered how exactly he was supposed to get through to the boy. Coming out and demanding Potter to open up about the abuse suffered under his relatives cruel hands would only result in another panic attack. Snape again briefly wondered how Minerva thought he was supposed to do this.

Deciding not to keep Potter waiting, he stood swiftly from his chair, noticing the flinch it caused in the boy as his shoulders tensed even more. He gestured for Potter to follow him out of his office and through a side door. Pausing for only a second as Severus struggled against the urge to stop the boy from entering his privet sanctuary.

Before he could truly think about it though, Potter was being led through the sitting room and into his own private potions lab. This was the part that really raised Severus' hackles. Not even Albus had ever entered his private lab and now he had to share it with an eleven year old brat. No matter how much help Potter needed; surely there was some other way to do this. Appearances needed to be kept though so he angrily pointed to a work bench and silently demanded for Potter to sit.

The boy did so nervously while under his messy bangs, green eyes flashed taking in the room around them but unwilling to leave the professor out of his sight for more than a second.

"Potter, you are to start work on the pepper up potion. The ingredients and sheet with the instructions are on the bench before you. I do not expect you to fail and explode your efforts over my private property or you will pay dearly. Am I understood?"

Harry nodded quickly, aware that the Professor would deal him a most severe punishment if he was to make a mess of his own personal lab. Harry wondered why he was even in the Professor's personal lab and not in the classroom for his remedial lessons but didn't dare question it.

Snape repressed a sneer from the brat's response. He loathed it when people didn't answer his questions verbally, as if speaking were a chore. He had let it slide with the boy before, out of some compassion and mostly because he was too distracted at the time to notice. If he was to spend time with the boy though every week and hoped to get the boy to trust him, then he would have the boy answer him properly. It took two people to maintain a conversation.

"You will answer all my questions properly Potter, with a verbal answer. I refuse to have to put up with your sloppy ill mannered gestures. Am I clear?"

"Y-yes sir." Harry stuttered nervously. He hated that he couldn't keep the fear out of his voice. Harry kept his gaze firmly fixed upon the table and the potions ingredients before him. Seeing the Professor pulling out a stack of parchment with a quill and a bottle of red ink, he thought it best he get on with the potion. Quickly reading the instructions, Harry thought the potion didn't seem that hard to make and set about chopping and slicing the ingredients in preparation while heating the pewter cauldron to the right temperature. Hopefully, if he completed the potion quickly without mistakes; the Professor wouldn't shout at him and he could escape quicker.

Snape watched the boy as he set about his work. Like before, the boy was showing a great deal of skill in preparing the different ingredients and didn't seem to be squeamish about handling the lesser pleasant products. Truthfully, Potter was turning out to be one of the better students in potions, up there with his friend Granger and Malfoy. Who despite his arrogance, did have some skill and had been instructed with private tutors since young, courtesy of Lucius.

The potions master graded the terrible fifth year essays on autopilot, waiting for the boy to fall into the work and relax slightly before deciding to speak.

Deciding enough time had passed just after the boy began to add the base and first of the ingredients to the potion, Snape broke the silence.

"I do hope Potter, that you will not hold back now that you are receiving special tutoring and a chance to prove yourself competent to some extent."

Harry ducked his head and went to nod his head in response before remembering what the professor had said earlier. "Y-yes sir."

Glad the boy was following his instructions and focused enough on the potion to answer his questions without hesitation, even if it was only in mollosylibic answers, Snape continued. What to talk to the boy about though?

"I have noticed you bringing books back from the library to the common room on a regular basis." Harry froze for a moment before continuing to stir with a renewed tremor in his hand. Was the Professor going to tell him that freaks like him weren't allowed to touch school books? "While I'm sure you understand the importance of returning the books at the right time and in the same condition, I am curious what a first year like you could be reading about so vigorously seeing as most of your peers hardly see fit to read their assigned text books, let alone expand their understanding and variety of knowledge through extra reading?"

The question was smothered in acerbic words and condescending snark but it was still the first step in trying to start a conversation with the boy. There was no way Potter could avoid answering the question and it was so entirely unrelated to his relatives' abuse so as not to cause any panic.

Harry very carefully placed the bat liver chunks in one at a time, very aware that despite his head of house waiting for an answer, he would not forgive a mistake. Harry really didn't want to answer but was slightly less scared now that he would be forbidden from continuing to read his books.

"I-I've m-mainly read a-about m-magical c-creatures and a-a couple of b-books on a-arithmancy, sir. S-some p-potions too sir." Harry added quickly not wanting the professor to think he had been slacking off any more in his subject and hoping the man wouldn't be angry.

Snape raised one eyebrow at the ducked head of messy hair. He wished the annoying boy would look at him while talking but decided to address that despicable habit at a later date now that he had Potter talking. He didn't want to do something to cause the boy to draw into himself again.

"Magical creatures and arithmancy Potter. Those are third year electives. Do you enjoy learning about all the beasts that inhabit the magical world?"

"Y-yes sir." Harry hadn't realised that the books he were reading were for third years and now he wondered if he had really understood what they were talking about. It had all seem to make sense at the time when reading the books but knowing his stupidity, there was almost no way he had correctly understood third year material.

"Any creatures in particular that have intoned your interest Potter?" Snape truthfully didn't care a great deal what the boy was particularly interested in and already knew he had an interest in magical creatures. He needed to keep the conversation moving though, especially seeing Potter was about half way through completing the potion by this point. He just hoped Potter had an interest in the cute furry creatures out there and not the monstrous beast that took Hagrid's interest. One manic animal lover was enough.

"I-I enjoyed r-reading a-about o-ocamys and d-dragons sir" Snape raised another eyebrow, well at least the boy was showing a bit of house pride in being interested in snakes. "I-I also r-read a l-lot a-about w-werewolves sir. I-I think i-its r-really i-interesting sir. T-though, t-there w-ere a lot of q-questions I-I thought of t-that I couldn't f-find answers to sir."

Snape froze at the mention of those most dreadful creatures and couldn't help the sneer coming to his face. Luckily for the continued conversation with Potter, the boy was concentrating fully on the most delicate part of the potion at the moment and missed his head of house's ugly expression. Of course, a Potter would be interested in werewolves, though dratted vile things.

Blinking his eyes, Snape could see those saliva drenched teeth coming towards him, those wide crazed blood shot eyes eyeing him hungrily with dreadful savage blood lust. Forcing his occlumency shields up and those dreadful memories into the back of his mind Snape made himself ask the obvious question. Forcing the words from his unwilling lips.

"And what questions would these be Potter?"

"W-well sir, l-like is i-it r-really the moon t-that m-makes t-them transform, a-and i-if s-so w-why?"

Snape blinked once. He had never really thought of that. When developing his own _effective _wolfsbane recipe, he had only been concerned about how to keep the beasts' blood lust to a minimum. He too didn't know the answer to those questions.

"I would think that considering the fact that werewolves only transform during the full moon is sufficient evidence that the metamorphosis is brought on by the lunar light, would it not Potter?"

Harry hesitated, stirring in the last ingredient and waiting for the bubbling concoction to change from puss green to a light sky blue. The professor sounded so sure that he was now afraid of voicing his own opinion on the man's statement. Surely, his professor was right and he had only just misunderstood the information.

"Well Potter, why do you not believe this to be true?" Not willing to admit to himself that he was now curious, Snape made sure to keep his tone sharp and scathing.

Sure the man would take pleasure in pointing out his ignorance but afraid of not giving the potions master the answer he sought, Harry hurriedly stuttered out his response.

"I-I though t-there w-was n-nothing to prove its t-the m-moon t-that c-causes the transformation sir." glancing up through his bangs and stirring the potion as instructed a half turn anti clockwise, Harry saw that the man was not sneering or glaring causing him to relax slightly, enough to lose most of his stutter as he warmed up to a subject he found fascinating.

"I-in school in the muggle world during s-science, we had to set up e-experiments and they had to be in c-controlled conditions with controlled variables sir. I-I couldn't find any similar e-experiments on werewolf transformation. I-I thought that if it is the lunar light causing the transformation, why is there not a p-partial transformation during a h-half moon. I-I though sir t-that it could p-possibly be that the t-transformation just h-happens every 28 d-day cycle sir."

Harry discovered with a start that during his speech, he had finished the potion and now had to leave it to cool before bottling it. He also found to his surprise that he was breathing slightly hard and his hands were once again shaking. With a sense of wonder, Harry realised that it was not through fear but excitement at being able to finally talk freely to someone-an adult!- about his ideas and being _listened _too.

With a start, Snape realised the boy was right. He couldn't remember any circumstances where he had read or even vaguely heard of there being a proper test to determine why a werewolf transforms. Potter was correct, if it was lunar light causing the transformation, shouldn't there be signs of transformation more than a day or two before the full moon was shining?

Rather unnerved about his own ignorance on the subject and with an increasingly good opinion of Potter, Snape asked if the boy was capable of understanding the arithmancy book he had read.

Harry carefully started to bottle the potion but his head was definitely raised higher than at the beginning of the meeting. If it was not for the bangs hanging over his face, he would almost be staring his head of house in the eye.

"U-umm, it was hard to a-associate the numbers with the magic spells but the math w-wasn't any harder t-than at m-muggle s-school so I think I got most of it sir." Was the man going to quiz him or sneer at him for thinking a freak like him could understand something only learned by third years or older?

Snape did neither. Surprised the boy seemed so confident in his understanding of what he knew to be a rather complicated discipline and recognising that the boy was the most relaxed he had ever seen him in his presence while awake and unwilling to jeopardise that.

He was however slightly unbelieving that the boy found the mathematics of the subject easy because of his muggle schooling. Most pureblood or half blood wizards received home schooling, with a few attending small formal classes but he knew that the reason most third years dropped out of arithmancy so quickly was because they did not have a grasp of the mathematics and so lost faith in their own understanding of the subjects. Just what were the muggles teachings so that an eleven year old boy with no special tutoring was capable of such confidence?

It was at this time that Harry finished bottling the last of the potion and swiftly cleaned up his work bench. Snape was glad to see that the boy showed the appropriate respect to his own personal space and made sure everything was spotless. The nervousness returned to the boy though and conversation came to a halt as Harry began to shuffle nervously from behind his bench.

The green eyed boy would admit that in the last half hour he had not once truly been afraid of his head of house but now with nothing to occupy him, all he could think of was leaving. Despite nothing changing, the black clad man suddenly seemed just as intimidating as before when he first entered the potions lab.

Snape recognised the signs of nervousness and realised he himself had got quite caught up in a conversation with an eleven year old. Slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable himself, he cleared his throat before commanding the boy to stand and leading him quickly back through his personal quarters to his office.

Copying his actions from the previous day, Snape made sure to be the one to open the door for the boy, as such forcing the boy to gather his courage and any trust he had in the man and walk directly past him, well within arm's reach.

Again, the boy hesitated as expected and was reluctant to get so close to the potions master. Waving his hand impatiently, Snape subtlety encouraged the boy.

"You are dismissed Potter. I expect the same level of competence in lessons as you showed tonight and I will see you here again next Thursday. Do not be late."

"Y-yes s-sir!" With that, the boy darted through the door way. Once again eager to put some distance between himself and the looming man. As before, Snape did nothing to try and pull him back or cause him pain but simple shut the door firmly behind him. Leaving him once again alone in the corridor.

Unlike last time, Harry Potter did not sport a manic grin as he made his way back to the Slytherin common room. Instead, he had his head bowed and eyes hidden behind his bangs but a small, echo of a smile lay upon his lips and his steps were light in wonder.

XXX

The following week was strange for Harry. Taking the threat of consequence probably too seriously from his head of house, Harry dramatically improved his school work. He still didn't put himself forward to answer questions, some habits were just too hard to break in a couple of days but in all his homework, he gave 110% and was rewarded with outstanding results. He had also stopped pretending that he didn't know how to do the practical charms and transfiguration and was continually praised by both McGonagall and Flitwick for being one of the first to consistently get spells right straight away.

The amazing thing about this all week for Harry was that not one teacher told him off for getting better than almost all of his classmates and not one of them had accused him of cheating, as surely a freak like him couldn't get such good marks. Strangely at Hogwarts, it seemed he could.

For Harry, this was an eye opener and he attacked the library and class books with renewed vigour. Hermione was slightly taken back with his sudden passion but followed his example with eagerness. Neville, not wanting to be left out, tried to keep up but still found himself lagging behind in most subjects. As expected, the slightly chubby boy worried that his friends would end up leaving him far behind and soon forget about the clumsy bumbling boy they had briefly befriended but instead Harry and Hermione made a point of going back and rereading and learning many of the spells they already knew for the brown haired Gryffindor's sake. Neville could not have been more grateful to have such faithful and smart friends. As such, he found his grades improving in all topics, though he would never be top of the class in anything except Herbology, in which he outclasses both Harry and Hermione by miles.

With Harry suddenly enjoying school and life more than he ever had for eleven years, the young Slytherin was surprised to find it once again Thursday so quickly and once again he was standing outside the dark iron wart door of his head of houses study, waiting to be commanded to come in. Strangely, Harry wasn't dreading the coming meeting with the potions master half as much as he had last time. The realisation that he could actually try and school work and not get punished for it was still a new and exciting concept. The fact that when he tried he was one of the top of the class and so by definition not stupid had Harry's worldview tilting sideways. With this new perspective, Severus Snape suddenly didn't seem nearly as terrifying.

Still, Harry ducked his head as he entered the room and made sure to stay out of arm's reach as he followed the man to his private potions lab. Old habits die hard. Again, Snape set him to work on a simple enough potion and began grading papers on the bench opposite. Harry got the cauldron up to boil and was half way through preparing the ingredients for the cold ease potion before the Professor felt it time to begin conversation.

"I have noticed Mr. Potter that your effort and grades in class have dramatically improved within the last week." The boy tensed briefly at his voice but continued chopping diligently. Snape was pleased to see that he did not flinch into himself this time. Maybe he was getting through, though he knew it was too early to make that assumption. "I am pleased that you took my instructions to heart and hope to see a continuation of this behaviour." Snape paused and looked away from the boy briefly. Was that good enough to reassure Potter of his sincerity? What else could he do to get the boy to trust him?

Clearing his throat, he made sure the boy still had his head bent over his work before continuing. He didn't want Potter to be that aware of his discomfort. "I am…very pleased with you Mr. Potter, you have not embarrassed the house of Slytherin."

He saw the boy tense once again though this time in disbelief than fear. The shock was such that Harry forgot his reluctance to look the man in the eye and raised his head in astonishment to stare at him. The rhythmic chopping stopped as onyx and emerald eyes met. The moment was brief as the boy soon ducked his head once again, aware that the professor might punish him for his impertinence.

Snape's breath left him as his heart constricted painfully in sympathy for the boy. No eleven year old should have to show such astonishment at being compliment by an adult. Especially for doing their work diligently and taking their studies seriously. It had been the honest truth that the boy wasn't an embarrassment to Slytherin, not that Snape had ever thought him to be but Harry's true scholastic abilities had startled and impressed all his teachers. Minerva was always eager to tell him of Potter's latest triumph over his housemates in transfiguration and Flitwik had commented to him at the head table that he wondered if Potter wasn't considered for Ravenclaw and had inherited his mother's proficiency in charms.

As for potions, well Snape himself could see the boy's improvement and it warmed him to know that at least some snivelling brats took his art seriously. Not that he would ever tell that to anyone.

In counterpoint to the pain in his heart, his blood boiled to think of the reason this boy felt so astonished at being complimented in even the most disinterested manner. If it would not have aroused Dumbledore's suspicion and placed him firmly against the headmaster, Severus would have paid a visit to the Dursleys long ago and shown them in explicit detail exactly why he had been accepted into the ranks of the Death Eaters. As much as he detested that decision and the life he lead at that time, he couldn't help but pick up a few tricks.

Harry himself was sure he had had a minor heart attack after his head of house's praise. Praise for him! In was unheard of. That the teachers liked his improvement in school had never occurred to the boy. That they were impressed with him was downright earth shattering. After a long pause in which he tried to calm his breathing, Harry once again began preparing the last of the ingredients. Shredding the knarl root thinly as instructed and making sure the cauldron had reached the appropriate temperature, the atmosphere was heavy with silence but Harry would not be the one to break it.

"I imagine Miss. Granger was pleased with your progress. She was quite concerned with your holding back in class." Again, surprise spread across the boy's featured but he did not look up as before. Something Snape was annoyed with and equally glad of at the same time. On the one hand, he wouldn't be reminded of just how damaged the boy was and could tame his sympathy to an acceptable level. On the other, it was a detestably annoying habit and was getting on last nerve!

Harry wondered how many times this evening he would be shocked so badly by his head of house's words. The Professor had talked to Hermione! When? She had been concerned for him, had shared her worries with the teacher. Harry was worried about her revealing too much to the faculty but seeing as this man had already seen his many scars that time he collapsed, (here Harry briefly flushed with shame, how pathetic of him!), he didn't think there was much he didn't already know. Any worry was overwhelmed by happiness though as Harry comprehended the Professor's words. Hermione had been worried for him, the freak. Maybe she thought of him as a precious friend as well.

"A-ah, not a-at first. S-she was k-kind of jealous to b-begin with sir, when I g-got a better g-grade t-than her on t-the last transfiguration e-essay."

Snape raised an eyebrow. That was surprisingly personal admission. "I trust the jealousy did not last. Miss Granger does not seem as immature as to hold a better grade against a friend, unlike many of your peers." Truthfully, Snape thought the girl was just as likely to be prone to jealousy as anyone else especially considering that grades had been all she had for a long time until her recent friendships but seeing as the boy was not distressed, he didn't think anything had occurred. Flint had told him before the meeting that the three friends had been meeting in the library as normal all week.

"N-no, sir. I-I pointed o-out that she w-was still b-better than me in many things sir. L-later she said t-that I would b-be good c-competition sir."

"I see. I do believe that is a good idea. You will be much more likely to maintain your grades throughout the years here with some friendly rivalry and the help of your friends. I'm sure you and Miss Granger will be able to help each other with your different talents in the future." The boy nodded, dropping the root into the cauldron with the panther vile. "What did Mr. Longbottom think of your improved grades?"

Snape was growing slightly bored with the conversation and would much prefer it if they were discussing more interesting subjects such as they finished on last week but knew if he was to help the boy, he needed to take an interest in the boy's life, meaning he had to take an interest in the boy's friends and helping to maintain their relationship. Strangely, this inconvenience did not make him as angry as it did last time the boy occupied his thoughts.

"H-he was a l-little d-disappointed sir as he thought w-we w-would leave him." The way in which the boy voiced the thought made it obvious to Snape just how detestable and stupid Harry found the idea of leaving one of his friends. The boy's loyalty could have had him in Hufflepuff but he supposed it would allow him to make good allies in the years to come, as long as none of them took advantage of his current vulnerable state and stabbed him in the back. Severus supposed that guarding Harry's behind was something else he would have to do for the boy.

"O-of course, me and Hermione t-told him he was b-being silly sir. E-even Hermione goes to N-Neville for h-help in H-Herbology sir, though when she did, it made h-him blush really badly." The boy hesitated in adding the last ingredient to the potion. He wasn't sure why he was telling his head of house all this other than that the man asked and he did not want to be punished for not answering a Professor. What Harry couldn't figure out was why the Professor kept talking to him during these potion sessions and why on earth the dour man would be interested in his friends? He wasn't going to tell Harry not to talk to them because they were in Gryffindor, was he? The man's hatred of all things in the house of lions was legendary.

The hesitation of the boy drew Snape's attention to the time and he realised he would soon have to bring this session to an end. It was good to know that his instructions to improve the boy's academic prowess hadn't hurt his social life but he didn't think he had made any progress in getting the boy to trust him. He was surprised that Harry had even answered questions so personal.

"Finish the potion Potter before you ruin it." Jumping, the boy realised that his delay was causing the potion to thicken prematurely and quickly added the last ingredient, stirring as he did so and leaving to cool soon after.

"It is late Mr. Potter. You may leave the potion there and I will bottle it for you. For now, it is time for you to head back to the dormitory."

"Yes sir." Harry replied quietly before quickly cleaning up and putting away his supplies. In a repeat of last week's session, Snape steered the boy through his personal quarters quickly before opening the office door for him. Again, Harry would have to walk past the man well within arm's reach to leave.

The hesitation was there once again but Snape observed as the boy almost ran past him that Harry was no longer trying to meld himself into the door frame on the other side. Maybe these sessions were working, though Snape suspected it would be a long time till he could get within reach from the boy without Harry fearing being struck by his hand.

Closing the door on the boy's back and sliding the lock across, simultaneously activating the security charms and wards, Snape made his way back to the lab. Bottling the boy's finished potion, he observed that despite his slip in adding the last ingredient in time, the potion was perfectly serviceable. It was only as he was settling into his living room with a glass of red wine and the latest potion journal that Severus realised with a start that other than the times the boy was concentrating on chopping or stirring, Harry had had his head up and looking at him almost in the eye.

Snape gave a small smile, nothing more than a twitching of his pale lips upwards for a fleeting second and wondered if Harry had noticed his actions as well. It gave Snape some hope to think he did.


	12. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Sorry for such a long wait when I said I would try and get a few chapters done and I've only just completed one. Saying that, I hope you like it and please review. I've actually had this chapter done for some time but things in reality have prevented me from posting it till now.

I'm not too happy with my skill with dialogue in this chapter so it might feel a bit stilted. As always many thanks to my beta and the effort she has put into this story as well.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 16**

Sitting in his whimsical office, high above the hussle and bustle of the students and the castle below, Albus Dumbledore contemplated on one small boy. His hands were steepled in front of his face, elbows resting on his desk and normal twinkling baby blue eyes darkened in deep thought. Beside him, Fawkes patiently preened himself and let out a few encouraging chirps every now and then when his human companion seemed particularly troubled. The only other sound in the office was the slow hiss and whizzing of the many curious magical devices the headmaster had collected over the long years of his life.

It wasn't like the headmaster thought that being sorted into Slytherin automatically made Harry a dark wizard and maybe Severus was right to be enraged at him for planning to pay Molly Weasly and her offspring to befriend Harry but he had only meant it to be as an encouragement to get to know the boy and for compensation for when he was sure the family would take it upon themselves to invite Harry into their home at some point during the holidays to look after him.

Looking back on it now, Albus felt ashamed of himself for almost effectively selling the boy off but that was not his biggest concern. He had been so _sure _that young Harry would follow in his esteemed parents footsteps and be sorted into the lions house. There he could make friends with many light families and muggleborns. It would also be easy for the headmaster to keep an eye on his progress in the magical world and guide him towards his prophesized destiny. Now, he could only watch from a distance and hope.

"I truly did not mean to be so cruelly negligent," he deplored to the empty office. Beside him, Fawkes stopped his preening and looked up, tilting his head to the side in question. "I just failed to consider all the ramifications. I did not believe the public would be so overwhelmingly hateful." Silence, the headmaster held his breath, perhaps waiting for someone to reassure him that he was forgiven. No one did.

"Maybe, this time my own prejudice did blind me as Severus believes." It hurt him to admit that, even to himself. For so many years, he had preached about open mindedness and house unity, taken proud in being above the petty house prejudice of so many of his magical peers and now it seemed that he too had fallen so low as to allow them to cloud his judgment.

No matter how many times he reassured himself though, he couldn't bring himself to be comfortable with young Harry's situation. The parallels between the saviour and the late Tom Riddle aka. Lord Voldemort was disconcerting. Both had been orphaned at a young age, both had been forced to grow up within the muggle world ignorant of their magical heritage and both he feared had grown up in less than caring environments.

He was not sure of the fine details of Harry's home environment with the Dursleys of course but there had been some worrying reports from the squib he had placed there to keep an eye on the young boy. Ms. Figg reported old hand-me-down clothes and an apparent onslaught of chores as well as some bullying from his cousin. Nothing serious, Dumbledore was sure but enough for a boy to feel slightly outcast just as young Tom did so many years ago.

Then the boy had gone and been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor and almost seemed to clinch the deal of the boy becoming the next dark lord, following in his predecessor's blood filled footsteps.

His only reassurance was Severus continued defence of the boy. It was only after his potions master gave him his latest dressing down that he realised maybe he had made a mistake in judging the boy too quickly and this revelation brought about the revelation that there was now nothing he could do to help keep the boy on the path of the light.

His carless dismissal of his responsibility in stopping the hate mail of the wizarding public being sent to young Harry had killed any chance of him building a relationship with the boy and having any chance of having a say over Severus in the running of the boy's life.

Dumbledore realised he would have to content himself with trusting his friend and most loyal spy for the light side in keeping the boy free from the dark influence that lurked throughout the wizarding world and hope the boy would be ready when his time came. If there was one thing he could be sure of, it was that Severus would not allow anything less.

XXX

Elsewhere in the castle, others were having a less quiet evening. It had been a normal day for the three friends so far. They had met up in the library as normal, done all their homework and reading, helped explain things one of them hadn't understood and quietly without Ms. Prince noticing, practised their spell work for class and moved ahead in their charms and transfiguration books some more before playing some games of exploding snap, a silencing charm firmly in place.

It was only long after dinner when they had final decided to return to their dorm rooms and go their separate ways that the routine was broken by the arrival of Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Tomas blocking their way down the corridor outside the library. The only reason the three boys had even caught up to the trio was because both Harry and Neville were waiting outside the girls toilets for Hermione to finish. Both with the same embarrassed awkwardness that any waiting person processes when standing outside a toilet doing nothing and feeling incredibly like a twit. The boys had been exchanging sheepish smiles when the others arrived. Now they were outnumbered but unwilling to walk away and leave Hermione to emerge and encounter the three idiots all by herself.

This was all the time Ron needed to start his self righteous tirade.

"Hey Neville, what did we tell you about hanging out with the dirty Slytherins? Don't you know all those slimy snakes are dark? You'll turn out just like them if you don't stop hanging out with the filth." Ron made extra sure to glare threateningly at Harry, who hunched up and tried to sink further into the shadows against the wall. The boys behind Ron didn't say anything but they nodded along in agreement, glaring and sneering at Harry just as much.

Neither boy replies to Ron's jabs which seemed to anger the boy further, thinking he was being ignored by the two losers in front of him.

"Listen, we know you've been helping the slimy snake with his Herbology homework or there's no way he would be getting better marks than us," said Ron, referring to his own less than stellar grades, even for a first year, "We'll forgive you for being brain washed by the Slytherin and let you hang out with us if you help us with our homework, yeah. That way, you won't be so much of a loser and will be like a proper Gryffindor."

Apparently deciding that there was no way someone like Neville could even think of refusing his offer of friendship, Ron made sure to shove Harry harshly so he banged against the rough stone wall before grabbing the brown haired boy's upper arm harshly and yanking him away from the green eyed boy.

Seamus and Dean moved forward to get between the two boys but were stopped by Neville putting up an unexpected struggle and managing to yank his arm free.

"Would you all bugger off!" shouted Neville, anger and frustration overwhelming his natural shyness for a moment. Seeing everyone looking at him in surprise and realising what he had just said, the brown haired boy started to shrink in on himself again but quickly grabbed hold of the anger still raging through him. He was a Gryffindor, no matter what Ron said and he wouldn't back down even if the thought of the soaping his gran would give his mouth if she found out the kind of language he just used did make him cringe.

Surprise stopped Ron and his friends from immediately making a grab at the boy again but slowly the fact that shy little Neville had just refused him, Ron Weasley, for some snivelling little Slytherin made its way slowly through the red head's brain. As it did, his face heated up until it was the same shade as his hair masking his freckles as anger twisted his features.

"WHAT THE HELL! How dare you tell me to bugger of, you loser! You were begging for a chance to hang out with us at the beginning of the year."

"Y-yeah, well now I realise t-that your just a bully and I would much rather h-hang out with Harry than you a-any day!"

"What are you talking about you arse? He's a bloody Slytherin and you're a Gryffindor, you traitor!"

"S-so?" Neville could feel his confidence draining away from his as his stutter returned. What the hell was taking Hermione so long and why Ron wouldn't just leave him alone? "You only w-want to hang out with me so I c-can do your homework and to hurt H-Harry."

Ron sneered and would have made another grab for Neville if it wasn't for Hermione emerging from the bathroom at that moment. He wasn't scared of her, he reassured himself. He just didn't want her to shout at him about the rules. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Ron was continually paired with her in Charms and knew that she could do every spell the first time.

"Come on guys, let's go. I don't want to hang out with a loser squib anyway and everyone knows real Gryffindor doesn't hang out with a Slytherin. He was probably meant to be a puffin."

The boys laughed at the week insults and skulked away. The trio knew impeccably that Ron would still continue to try and cause trouble for them. Considering they were some of the top in the class and spent all their time in the library, it would be hard for the red head to do anything though.

Turning to the two boys after the other Gryffindors had left, Hermione placed her hands on her hips. "What was that all about?" the tone of voice demanded an answer.

"N-nothing, j-just Ron being a g-git like usual." replied Neville. He couldn't believe he had just told the bigger boy to bugger off and got away with it. Beside him, Hermione frowned deeply.

"If he's bothering you Neville, you should tell Professor McGonagall. It is the head of house's responsibility to make sure there is no interhouse bullying. I read so in Hogwarts, A History."

"No-no, that's ok Hermione. I would prefer it if he c-couldn't call m-me a c-cry baby t-too."

Hermione continued to frown but her hands dropped from her hips in grudging consent for his wishes.

A hesitant tap to his shoulder caused Neville to jump and spin round to face Harry. The black haired boy had been silent the entire time. He did not care what Ron or the others thought of him and did not have the confidence to stand up for himself. He knew himself to be a freak that no one should want to hang out with.

Still...all the evidence so far since entering Hogwarts and meeting Hermione and Neville was proving that not to be the case. The world wasn't just tilting for Harry now, at this point it was almost upside down.

"D-do you really p-prefer to h-hang out with me?" he barely dared to ask the question and tensed immediately afterwards in dread of the answer. He need not have feared.

"Of course!" Hermione replied at once, affronted he should even think otherwise.

"Y-yeah, sure Harry. R-Ron's and i-idiot and you're our f-friend!"

Harry smiled, he could barely believe it. Both of them thought it was better to hang out with him than with the more popular Gryffindor boy. Hogwarts was nothing like Surrey.

Happiness coursing through him, Harry couldn't stop smiling even through the panic of realising that they would never get back to their dorm room before curfew caused the trio to split quickly and begin sprinting through the castle.

XXX

The three friends were right to think that that confrontation wasn't the last of it. If anything, that was just the beginning. For the next week, Neville was continually hounded by Ron and the other first year Gryffindors. It started with the boys just harassing Neville anytime they caught him in the common room. This only led to the three friends spending even more time in the library but at the end of every day, the closing of the library forced both Neville and Hermione back to the tower. It was the same spiel every time and every time, it got a little more hateful. Harry was a Slytherin so he was dark; Neville was wrong for hanging out with him and was a traitor to Gryffindor for doing so. When that didn't work, they moved on to insulting Neville himself for his intelligence and incompetence as a wizard while in the same breath trying to convince him that he really did want to do their homework for them.

As Neville continued to ignore the boys and defend Harry and harassing turned physical. Neville's clothes and possessions would be flung about the dormitory when he arrived. Sometimes, they would be damaged. They would shove and trip him in the corridor, causing him to drop and break his things while laughing at his 'clumsiness'. Ron even got his older twin brothers to show him some hexes that he and the others managed to actually use correctly in a magical miracle.

It wasn't long till Neville and Harry couldn't walk down a corridor in the castle without either having their legs tied together by invisible ropes or their appearance changed. Once, even Hermione had got hit by a stray spell despite the boys normally leaving her alone because she was a girl and her front teeth grew to ridiculous portions almost reaching her waist. It was externally painful for the frizzy haired Gryffindor and the boys both skipped classes to get her straight to Poppy despite their trepidation. Luckily, Hermione's teeth were fixed with barely any effort but since then, the trio had added beginner shielding spells to the number of things they were looking at in the library right at the top of the list. Though considering spells of this sort weren't really taught till third year, they were having a little trouble understanding the theory as written in the books and kept having to back track. Only Harry so far hadn't managed to produce anything like the intended spell and only for a measly two seconds. They persisted though.

The teeth incident, as it was known to the three, alerted someone else to what was going on. It just so happened that the one lesson the trio skipped while helping Hermione was Potions. Severus didn't take kindly to people skipping his lessons and he made sure the consequences of doing so were well known. It was only the fact that it was Granger, the know it all that was obsessed with her academic standing, Neville and Harry, both of who were much to shy and submissive as to do anything as rebellious such as missing lessons for no reason that stayed his temper. The fact that Harry would be literally petrified of any punishment, he thought it would just make the situation even worse.

These reasons led to Snape having yet another chat with his prefects and, after some asking around by them, finding out that all three were in the hospital wing and why. Asking Harry about the incident at that week's meeting, Snape just about managed to drag out the name of the culprit, though it was as frustrating and painful as pulling teeth before the green eyed boy clamed up for the evening and refused to say another word beyond 'yes sir' or 'no sir.'

Anger burned his throat and sat heavy in his stomach as he stormed up the stairs to Gryffindor tower later the following evening. His rage stemmed not only for the harm of one of his Slytherins but that all progress made in getting said Slytherin to trust him had been washed down the drain by one stupid Gryffindor brat making it so Snape had to ask questions to personal too quickly.

The surprise on Minerva face as he flung open her office door was quickly replaced by a deep frown of concern at the clipped tones of command. Effectively taking the wind out of the Potions master's sails, he obeyed without thought and suddenly found himself in a lumpy maroon arm chair with a cup of sweetened tea in his lap. Seven years of having McGonagall as a teacher previously in his life left him with the reflexive urge to obey her like he a nervous first year. Minerva hid a quick, entirely inappropriate smile behind her teacup as a look of murderous indignation overcame Severus' normally stoic features as he realised this.

The aged witch knew this was not the time thought to tease her younger contemporary and her frown was back in place as she set down to business.

"What is the problem now Severus?" The frown deepened, "It's not poor little Harry again, is it?"

Snape scowled and purposely set his tea upon the desk top, determined as always not to touch the terrible sweetened brew.

"In a way. It is to do with the deplorable and dangerous actions of one of your own house and the harm he has not only caused Harry but also another two of your own house."

"Pardon!?"

"Ron Weasley, woman! Are you blind now?! He and his band of merry men have been harassing Potter, Granger and specifically Longbottom for the last week or so and you have not noticed. What do you plan to do about the boy!?"

Her own anger building at the picture being painted in front of her, Minerva purposefully set her half drunken cup besides Snape and set her hands in her lap. Perfectly positioned, so Snape could not see her knuckles turn white as she clenched her hands.

"What exactly have they been doing Severus?"

"Weasley, Finnigan and Thomas have been physically attacking and even worse hexing Harry and Longbottom repeatedly at every opportunity for the last week. They have damaged the boy's possessions and incidentally caused Miss Granger harm with an enlarging hex aimed at one of the boys. The girl was in pain for fifteen minutes before they staggered into the infirmary. I expected Poppy would have floo called you about it."

For a brief moment, the head of Gryffindor looked embarrassed. "I do appear to have a few missed floo calls from her, unfortunately was too busy until now to call her back and missed taking meals in the hall today as you well know."

Snape nodded, remembering the headmistress's absence as she monitored the schools mail as the headmaster was attending the routine meeting of the school governors that happened every year. The fools were only complaining about inconsequential things while trying to curry favour with Dumbledore for their or their progenies profit. The headmaster never listened but was still forced to attend for proprieties sake.

"Well, Minerva what are you planning to do with your run away students? I will warn you now that if I see them commit one more offence against Potter, I will not be lenient."

"I will deal with it Severus," she stated with finality. Despite the note of steel in the older women's voice, Severus still dared to challenge it.

"And how, pray, do you plan to do that? The boy is a menace and has been allowed to harass one of his own housemates without you even noticing." Snape shut his mouth with a click when Minerva pursed her lips and glared at him, grey eyes as warm and yielding as cold iron.

"Considering you are only just bringing this to my attention now Severus, I hardly think I can be the only one guilty of blindness in this matter. You yourself didn't realise this was occurring till recently and according to your own words, it has been going on for weeks."

Snape grudgingly lowered his eyes; he could not refute her accusations and knew them to be true. Face down the dark lord he could do but facing down Minerva McGonagall was another matter entirely.

"Also seeing as the guilty party of students are in my own house as well as two of their victims, I think I have priority in punishing them. Be sure Severus, that the boys will be shown the error of their ways and if they have been harassing their housemates as well as poor Harry, they will be punished. However, I will decide the punishment I see fit. This is a Gryffindor matter Severus and you shall not interfere."

Despite knowing it to be futile, Snape still tried to stare down his old professor but was forced one again to lower his head and grumble to himself in defeat. Minerva allowed herself a weary smile at the younger man, always so sour and prickly, even when he was trying to help three troubled children. He hid a good heart under all that gruff sharp sarcasm and dour exterior. If only she could get him to see that.

"Very well Minerva, I shall leave this to you." He sent her a meaningful look as he stood to leave.

Minerva inclined her head to the silent demand, "Of course, I shall inform you of their punishments after I have issued them."

That lifted Snape's spirits a bit and he left her office with the fires of anger no longer burning his throat and a reminder of why he still respected his old professor and had thought twice before crossing her in his school days.

Now, all he needed to do was continue on his plan to get Harry to trust him. If only he could figure out how that elusive goal could be accomplished, he might be able to sleep slightly easier at night.

XXX

For the next two days, Minerva made a point of observing Neville and Hermione when they were in the dorm and just before leaving and entering her classroom. To her dismay, she was almost immediately witness to the kind of harassment Severus had told her about. Not that she expected the big bat to lie about it to her but he was such a mother hen sometimes, especially since he was trying to make up for his mistakes in the beginning with poor Harry that he tended to have a habit of exaggerating. This wasn't one of those cases but the head of Gryffindor had been holding onto the hope that it was all the same.

The boys seemed to leave Granger alone more or less apart from severe verbal insults to her looks, personality, magical ability and parentage. Both Harry and Neville were not so lucky. As well as the verbal assaults, the boys were more than willing to physically assault the boys, pushing, tripping and shaking them about when they felt like it. The flinging about of school and library books was common though luckily none of the boys took it into their heads to wet or burn the books causing irreparable damage. The only saving grace for the boys was than at no time did they try to throw a punch at the younger boys.

Only on the second day of observation, did Minerva see the use of magic enter the bullying. Mostly, they were cosmetic charms that the boys easily countered but there was also liberal use of the jelly legs jinx and the cofoundment charm, causing the boys further physical damage. Both managed to counter the jinxes but only after painful meeting with the walls. It wasn't only when one of the boys hit Neville with the confoudment charm while he was nearing the stairs, did Minerva realise how dangerous this was getting. Even Trelawney, in all her incompetence could have predicted the outcome. Minerva was enraged.

Which was why that Sunday, all three boys were stumbling into her office, still white faced in terror from seeing her expression earlier. She looked at them all sharply, staring just long enough to make them uncomfortable and have them drop their gaze in guilt before pursing her lips severely.

"Sit." They did so, not daring to disobey. Three chairs had been laid out ready for them by the house elves and according to Minerva's instructions, the most uncomfortable and stiff backed ones she had. She didn't want the boys to get the mistaken impression that she was merely annoyed or that they would be getting off easily. Maybe a bit of Severus was rubbing off on her.

"Do you all know why you are here?" The three boys glanced at each other. Finnigan and Thomas glancing to Weasley, the unofficial leader of the band of petty bullies. There were some grumbled sulky shaking of heads. McGonagall placed her hands flat on her desk in front of her and leaned forward, disapproving angry frown etched upon her face.

"You're all here because for the last week or so you have been verbally, physically and magically harassing some of you fellow year mates, two of which are within your own house! I am very disappointed in you! You have turned into petty bullies, as bad as any Slytherin," she added, just see the flinch on the Weasley's face. The other two boys seemed to be feeling some guilt, though whether that was because they felt bad about their action or about being caught by her, she couldn't tell. The Weasley however was going increasingly red. She knew the currently youngest enrolled redhead of the clan had a short temper, the grey eyed women was just waiting for it to snap.

"Your actions have shamed the name of Gryffindor and you shall be punished for them. Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

As expected, Weasley chose this moment to explode. Standing up suddenly and sending his chair toppling backwards onto the floor. Face red and hands clenched at his sides, Ron gave his opinion on the matter.

"IT'S ALL THAT SLIMY SLYTHERIN'S FAULT! He tricked everyone into thinking he was going to be in Gryffindor and then was put in Slytherin and now he's trying to turn Neville dark! We were just trying to help him."

Minerva sat back, now calm and in control of her emotions as she watched the boy dig his own grave. Beside him, his cohorts were staring in horror. Minerva got the feeling that after this meeting was over Ronald Weasley wouldn't be quite so popular.

"You call almost causing Mr Longbottom to fall five floors off the stairs to his death helping him? What about your abuse of Mr Potter? Were you trying to help him also in some obscene fashion?"

"Neville wasn't doing as we told him. Besides, he's such a bumbling fool it's obvious he's not a real Gryffindor or he would be hanging out with us and would have agreed to help us with our homework likes he's supposed to. And who cares about Potter? He's a Slytherin. That means he's a dark lord. He's just been tricking us all these years into thinking he was a hero. Who cares what happens to him! If you were a real Gryffindor, you would know he deserves everything he gets and would be trying to stop him too!"

By this point, Ron had his finger pointed directly at her chest. His face almost magenta while beside him, the two other boys appeared to be drained of all colour, almost gray in terror. For a moment, Minerva didn't say anything. Just stared at the boy's finger pointedly till he got uncomfortable and lowered it. It appeared to be dawning on the boy exactly what he had just said and who too but he showed no signs of guilt or a need to apologise.

Minerva almost had to admire stupidity like that. Stupidity like that could cause a nation to topple or cause a man to do great things without realising. Only almost though, as in the end it was still absolute _stupidity. _She just wished that more of her students had the sense to distinguish it from the bravery they all thought it was. Common sense seemed to be a dying trade in her house and the rest of the wizarding world.

"If you are done making an arse of yourself Mr. Weasley and personally insulting me, kindly shut up! I have heard all I need to hear from you. You are a disgrace to Gryffindor, attacking not only your own housemates but a boy who has caused you no harm and will not fight back."

"Bu..."

"Not another word! I've heard all I want to hear of your opinions to last me a life time Ronald Weasley. One more incident to bullying either Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger or Harry Potter, no matter the circumstance and I will be informing you mother! All your mothers!" she added, seeing the other two trying to hide behind their hot headed companion. Maybe they had more sense than the boy but that did mean she was going to overlook them.

"As it is, you shall all be serving detention with me for two weeks. Then Professor Snape for another two weeks every evening. I am also assigning you an essay on bullying and why it is appealing to partake in such behaviour and great wizards from Slytherin house that have benefited the wzarding world. Maybe that will help you to let go of some of your ridiculous prejudices, hum." Minerva lifted an eyebrow when she saw the boy open his mouth _again_ to argue but she really had heard all she wanted to from him and with steel in her eyes and obedience ringing in her voice decided enough was enough.

"You are all dismissed! Return to your dormitory. Your detention starts tomorrow at seven; I expect the essays to be on my desk in two weeks time. If it is not up to standard, I will make you do it again. Now get out of my office."

Finnigan and Thomas wasted no time fleeing her presence but Weasley remained for a moment. Face red and defiance and hatred shining in his eyes as he glared at her. Minerva raised another eyebrow just to annoy him, her own irritation rising.

"Dismissed Mr. Weasley!" There was no arguing with her voice and the red haired boy too turned to go, slamming the door behind him.

Sitting back in her chair for a moment to calm down, after all she wasn't as young as she used to be, Minerva reviewed all that had happened in this meeting. She knew Severus would have been hoping for a harsher punishment but there was really nothing else she could do. Taking away house points would not only make the boys unpopular but poor Neville too for apparently squealing to her.

Even as she sat there though, she knew Ron would continue to be trouble. The others may or may not follow his lead and they would certainly not chance it so soon after receiving their just punishment but hatred and prejudice as she had seen in the boy's eyes does not fade quickly and it will not allow him to remain silent.

She just hoped it didn't lead to him doing something drastic. Anything more than had already been done and she would have to inform Albus. Continuation of the abuse and her duty as a teacher would mean she could do nothing but push for suspension at best and expulsion at worst. She did so hate to see the current generation of students tainted by the hatred born of the prejudice of their parents.


	13. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…this is probably a good thing.**

Okay, so yeah its been about a year since I have updated and a lot of people have been waiting for me to get back to this story. Well I'm back, though for how long remains to be seen as RL is taking up a lot of my energy now what with moving to uni. Don't really have any excuses other than I've been busy and lacking the motivation or inspiration to update the story.

On that note I will be taking some advice from another author and probably cutting my chapter sizes down so that I don't feel so forced into writing a really long chapter and find myself getting fed up with my own story again. Not sure how the updates will be from no on them. Might update chapters as parts and when I have got the whole chapter lump it back together again, so yeah no idea.

The story isn't dead and here is the proof! Be warned this has not been betad so there may be mistakes, if there is a reoccurring mistake please tell me. If it is just a slight misspelling or grammar error I wont be changing it.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 17**

Neville and Hermione noticed immediately when the bullying stopped but the hate filled stares continued. Seamus and Dean were terrified enough of their Head of House to avoid them at all cost but Ron remained an angry shadow in the background, though he showed his first bit of common sense and refrained from doing anything.

This did not stop Neville from still feeling nervous and out numbered in his own dorm room and so the trio of friends continued with trying to learn upper year defence and security spells for the inevitable occasion when Ron Weasley decided that McGonagall was no longer a threat.

It was because of this unease that Salazar decided to do a bit more for Harry than he had previously done before by letting him into a few more secrets of Hogwarts Castle, namely the system of secret passages all throughout the school that not even many generations of inquisitive and curious students had ever discovered.

The tunnel that he had led the lost first year through at their initial encounter was one of many throughout the school but the secret to access them was long forgotten. Even the current Headmaster had no idea of their existence so Salazar was confident that it was a safe place for Harry to hide from his tormentors and move about the castle freely without harassment.

"The secret is to know where the doorways should be. I have shown you the most useful to you young snake but remember that there are many more you do not know of. It will be quite possible for you to exit through one of these doorways if you do not keep your final destination in mind. The corridors are much like the stairs in that way, always looking to amuse themselves by leading students slightly astray if they do not pay adequate attention."

Harry walked along beside the carving of the long dead legend in one of said corridors and tried to simultaneously listen to the knowledge while keeping the section of corridor in the shadow of a suit of armour in the left corridor from the library firmly in mind so as not to go astray. All the corridors looked the same as the first with smooth polished stone where there should be rough heavy slabs and an low arched roof. In all the times he had now wondered with the founder in the passageways to memorise the doorways he had not once encountered any stairs though many times he often ended up on a different floor to the one he started on. The small eleven year old tried not to think about the logistics of it. He always felt dizzy when he did.

"When you reach a doorway you are to reach out with your magic as if casting a spell and command it to open. Be warned that the castle may or may not respond to this command as these passage ways are not just open to anyone. I could open them for you if needed but I can not be in two places at once and while I may be able to travel anywhere within these walls it still takes me time to traverse form one place to another."

"C-Can your snakes open them?" enquired Harry. He had been noticing that quite often Salazar sent some of his snakes to trail him everywhere in school. About the only place they ever left him truly alone was when he was in the library with Hermione and Neville. Of course the snakes were all excited about him being a speaker, though Harry himself did not understand why this was so special (could not all wizards talk to snakes? He had never thought to look it up in the library and none of the books on magical creatures he had read had mentioned anything about parseltongue) and could be following him of their own free will but he did not believe for a seconds that they were not reporting back to the founder.

Salazar seemed surprised for a moment before smirking. "So you have noticed young one. Yes I have had a few of my companions keep an eye on you in case my assistance is needed. You have far to many enemies in this school to be all on your own…I would teach you some more advance defensive spells to use against your attackers but I fear even with you studious nature and considerable power for your age that you are not yet ready to learn anything I would teach you.

"To answer you question unfortunately my companions are unable to open the entranceways as I am but they can reach me quickly from anywhere within the castle. Now to continue our original topic, to open a doorways you need to reach out with your magic. This is most easily accomplished by pressing your wand to the correct portion of wall and channelling your magic through it. With practice you should be able to do this without the aid of your wand by just touching the wall with your hand. If you are powerful enough and diligent in your practice it is possible to reach out with your magic without touching the door and open it from several feet away, but you are far from doing that young Harry." Salazar concluded, making sure the boy was listening as he nodded along to the rapid explanation.

They had been walking for a while now and continued to do so in companionable silence. A few minuets later Harry arrived at a dead end only to have the passage open up behind a suit of armour in the corridor near the library. Harry aloud a brief smile of triumph to grace his face at the accomplishment. So far in these journeys he had gotten quite lost a few times while trying to listen to the founder at the same time as keep his destination in mind but this successes showed he was gradually getting better. Salazar too smiled at the boy, aware that a little praise would go a long way to convincing the boy of his abilities and provide motivation to improve them.

"Well done Harry. You are getting better. Meet me by this door way again tomorrow after class and we shall practice opening it with your wand. For now you should probably find your friends in the library. I have no doubt they will be wondering about your divergence from your normal routine and will be looking for you."

"Yes sir." Harry stepped through the door way, watching it close behind him and Salazar fill the wall in its place. The green eyed boy hesitated, the founder was the nicest adult he knew but being a Slytherin he understood the need for secrecy and so was reluctant to ask his next question. "Can I teach Hermione and Neville about the passageways too?" he inquired meekly.

Salazar considered this request for a moment. "I am pleased that you already have allies that you trust so much young Harry but I ask that you do not at this moment. They have a greater amount of protection from animosity than you do despite the young Weasley's recent harassment and so do not need these escapes so badly. To reveal them would be to reveal me and I am not ready for any others but you young speaker to know of my presence yet. Do you understand?"

Harry was disappointed but not surprised by this response. It did however give him hope that in the future, should he continue to attend Hogwarts and Hermione and Neville remained his friends that he would be able to tell them some day. Being a Slytherin he did not care to much about lying to them for the sake of secrecy when it would cause no one any harm, but that did not mean he didn't want to share with them this amazing aspect of the castle. He knew Hermione would be over the moon if she had the opportunity to speak to one of the founding four even if it was the creator of her rival house. She would probably ask a lot more pertinent questions than he did.

"I understand sir. I wont tell them anything."

"Good boy. Now move along."

Harry said his final goodbyes to the ancient carving for the night and hurried to the library. The founder was right to think his friends would be concerned about him missing the beginning of their normal study meet up after lessons and as he quickly walked along and through the high imposing doors of Hogwarts library he tried vary hard to think up a believable the lie. He understood the need to keep secrets, that didn't mean he had any practice in doing so.

Salazar Slytherin watched the young boy hurry off and contemplated. He did not know if the boy was in any way his biological heir as the real Salazar Slytherin had had no children before he left Hogwarts but he was undoubtedly a speaker and a much better character than the last one to pass through these halls fifty years ago. He had never revealed himself to the that heir as he did now to Harry and had found this to be a wise decision when the boy had used his poor, still loyal basilisk for his own nefarious devices and power. Salazar did not for a moment believe the old speaker to be dead as so many else did. He could still feel his presence in these halls and despite his close relationship with the hallowed halls of the ancient castle he could not tell from where it was coming from.

Salazar was sure it was only a matter of time before he came back and when that eventuality happened he would hope young Harry would be fully aware of his chamber and old familiar within so that he may prevent a repeat of the past happening. Now was not the time though. Before anything like that could happen the young Slytherin needed to become stronger and more sure of himself. He still flinched at unexpected sounds and believed himself inadequate.

The founder sighed, depressed by his thoughts. He could understand why the young one had been sorted into his house even though it may not be at times obvious. He understood the importance of power and the games people played, even though he had little of his own to wield. The need to guard yourself against all but your most trusted. More than that he could sense the desperate ambition to be someone, to be acknowledged and accepted, to be great and to prove to his family and himself that they were wrong! If only the boy could see that there was no need to prove this, Salazar lamented.

They were already wrong.

XXX

Days past as they were wont to do and before Harry had time to blink it was Thursday again and time for another meeting with Snape. The talks had not been so bad and Harry was no longer deathly afraid of the potions professor but he still did not trust him. He was an adult after all, you never know when they would turn against you. He thought his potion prowess was increasing and that he was definitely no longer bottom of the class but his Head of House still insisted on lessons.

They followed the same routine, Harry barley knocked on the door and Snape would tell him to enter. He would then be lead to the professors privet lab and would be directed as to which potion he was attempting today. So far Harry had avoided any Neville scale catastrophes though he almost failed last session when the professor continued to hound him about his treatment at the hands of Weasley. He hadn't wanted to tell but it had been obvious that the professor had know some of what was going on and had guessed the rest. In the end he had confessed to some mistreatment, feeling ill as he did so. The professor already knew about the Dursley's, though to Harry's delight and bewilderment he had yet to ask anything about them, but to reveal that he was so week as to not even be able to defend himself against a fellow first year sickened him with how vulnerable he felt in that moment. You were never supposed to let people see or know your weakness, he knew this, lest they tear you apart with it but here he had gone admitting to weakness twice to his Head of House. What must the man think of him!

It was for these various reasons that when Harry set to making his potion he once again made sure that his eyes were firmly on his work and not looking the dour man in the eye as he had mistakenly done so a few times before.

Across from the young boy, supposedly marking essays as he normally did the Potions Master permitted himself a sigh of annoyance. He knew harassing the Slytherin for explanations about Weasley's behaviour would be detrimental in his efforts to get the boy to trust him but he didn't realise by how much. The shoulders were hunched again and the green eyes firmly averted from his own. While the boy did not shrug as he did before any response to him was monosyllabic. Snape counted it as a small win that they boy had not reverted to stuttering again as that would be truly annoying but even so he could feel is ire at the youngest male Weasley rising exponentially once again.

He was probably going to make this worse by bringing up the red headed bigot again but he needed to make the boy understand. "I trust that you have noticed the constant harassment suffered by you and your friends by Weasley and his group has stopped in the past few days."

"Yes sir" Harry had noticed and wondered about it but had been having so much fun learning new magic with Hermione and Neville without constantly having to go to the hospital wing and casting _finite_ every few minuets that he had not given it much thought as to how it came about. Harry assumed the red head had just got bored for now and would be back again later. Dudley sometimes acted this way, when he or his friends got an amazing new toy and Harry hunting was no longer the most entertaining thing to do for a few glorious weeks until the hype about the new gadget wore off and it was back to the same old routine.

"This is because they have been punished for their actions against you and your friends" the boy had looked up and at him in shear surprise. Lily's eyes flashed but after a few of these occurrences Severus was able to better ignore the tightening in his chest and cast aside the tide of rising memories. "What they did was bullying and is not permitted at Hogwarts. If he was to start in this tirade again you or your friends are to report it to a teacher, preferably professor McGonagall or I and we shall deal with it. As it is I understand he and his friends have two weeks of detention and have been assigned two essays to complete as well as their normal homework. Do you understand?"

The boy was still looking at him in confusion and wonder. Snape needed for Harry to understand that people who hurt him would be punished if he wished to acquire the boys confidence. To understand that Hogwarts was different from his despicable relatives and that all students had to comply with the rules. Teaching the boy to bite back and defend himself by launching an offensive strike would come later.

"Really sir?" Harry asked, leaning forward across the work table and almost slicing his finger off in the process of cutting the giant slugs into slices.

Snape frowned, "for Merlins sake boy look at what you are doing! I do not wish to put up with your crying and Poppy's lecture if you were to slice yourself in stupidity!"

Harry blushed and once again ducked his head, concentrating on making sure he didn't injure himself. "But in answer to you question, yes the Weasley boy and his followers have really been punished for their treatment of you. If they do not stop they will be punished again. Any student that harms or harasses you shall be punished if you bring it to my attention." The Potions Master continued, then frowned slightly, "of course this does not mean you are to come snivelling to me about every time someone calls you a name or insults you. Preferably you should be able to stand up by yourself against these kind of attacks so that I will not have to waste my time bothering with it."

"Yes sir." Harry wondered why professor Snape felt he needed to say that. He knew that adults didn't appreciate snivelling and it was just likely to get him punished. He wasn't such a cry baby as to come whining to his Head of House about everything. For Merlins sake he was eleven already, not two!

There was silence after that as both got back to their respective work. Minuets past in this manner so it came as some surprise to Harry when professor Snape once again initiated a conversation. The messy haired boy had thought they were done talking for the night and was still trying to wrap his head around someone else being punished for trying to hurt him. The concept was having some trouble fully sinking in.

"I have noticed that you have often been visiting the owlery. Are you sending mail to your relatives? I have yet to see you receive any packages in the Great Hall like the rest of your peers."

Harry hunched his shoulders at the question, debating whether or not to answer. The professor would be livid if he didn't reply but at the same time Uncle Vernon would kill him if he told anyone about the abuse even if they did already see the scars.

He settled on a half answer. "I-I'm not going t-to send m-mail. I-I'm just visiting my owl Hedwig. M-My r-relatives d-d-don't l-like mag-owls much" he amended quickly. Glancing up through his fringe Harry tried to figure out what his Head of House was feeling but all he could see was mild curiosity.

"Hummm, I take it you have a close relationship with your owl?" Snape enquired. He had got more of an admission from that question than he thought and the boys quickly corrected slip let on more than he knew about why his home life was so atrocious. It was also a sign that he had more of the boys trust than he originally hoped. Snape ignored the tightening in his chest that occurred at the thought.

"I-I-I, yes. She's one of my best friends. She's annoyed that I don't use her to deliver messages. I try to tell her its because I have nothing to send but I'm not sure if she gets it even if she is very intelligent. It would be a lot more useful if wizards could talk to owls instead of snakes but I guess it cant be helped." Harry paused for a second before continuing on urgently. He didn't want the professor to think didn't take pride in being in Slytherin after all. "Not that snakes aren't great or anything! They just don't carry the post so…" here the green eyed boy trailed off, aware that his Head of House was now staring at him in great surprise and a little bit of horror. What had he done now?

Severus froze upon hearing the boys babbling. Did he just say what he thought he said? Surely there was some mistake, neither of the Potter seniors had had the ability to speak to snakes. How would their son acquire such a gift? He shivered involuntarily and griped his left forearm, the dark mark burning as it was want to do whenever unwanted memories of his despised master rose to the fore front of his mind. That terrible cutting hiss of the snake language, spitted through pale lips and biting at the air as Nagani rose in command. Ready to strike down whoever had displeased her master.

The Potions Master had absolutely no wish to ever hear that dreaded language again but the boys claimed had to be checked. If he really could speak parseltongue no doubt Harry would be unaware of the stigma attached. The boy was already in the running for the next dark lord just because of his sorting, there was no need for him to go a throw more fuel on the fire by inadvertently revealing a gift the public saw as a sign of a dark wizard just because he felt like conversing with some of the grass snakes round the school. At least not until he could better defend himself at least.

"Potter" the boy looked at him and quickly down again, shoulders hunching. He had obviously picked up on his unease and Severus cursed himself for not having better control of his emotions. "I do not know where you got the misconception but I can assure you the majority of wizards can not talk to snakes."

"T-They cant sir?" Salazar could speak to snakes, though thinking back Harry remembered the founders and his companioning surprise that he could understand them. He should have known then that it wasn't normal. He really was a freak.

"No, in fact it is a very rare gift." Snape could almost sense the disbelief from the boy. "It is a gift Potter! An extremely rare one by the name of parseltongue…however in the last few years parseltongue has come to be seen in a less that favourable light so I caution you to keep this gift a secret. Some may try to harm you because of it."

This alarmed Harry greatly, he would be punished for talking to snakes? But Salazar did it all the time?! "R-Really sir? Why?!" the boy cried out in distress.

Snape sighed. He had hoped not to go into this less the boy himself get ridiculous ideas. "The most famous parselmouth was Salazar Slytherin and he is generally thought of as a dark wizard." Harry was so surprised his head shot up and he looked his Head of House straight in the eye with no thought towards punishment. Salazar was a dark wizard? But he was so nice! He certainly didn't act like a dark wizard, thought Harry.

Snape wondered about the extreme disbelief spread across the face of the young Slytherin. Surly he should have known this, even Potter couldn't be that cut off from the Hogwarts gossip. The reaction was a bit extreme no matter how he looked at it.

Severus paused a moment to see if the boy would voice the reason for his surprise but the eleven year old remained stubbornly silent.

"However the main reason parseltongue is so despised is that the dark lord was also a parselmouth and he used his ability to convince snakes to attack people on many occasions as well as taking the image of a snake as part of his own mark. For this reason parseltongue is often mistaken to be the sign of a dark wizard."

"I'm a dark wizard?" asked Harry in horror. The potion now entirely forgotten. It was only lucky for both Harry and the Potion Master that the ruined concoction remained inert instead of violently exploding as many other potions were wont to do.

Snape scowled at the child, causing him to bow his head slightly once again. "Of course not. Were you not listening to what I was saying? Parseltongue is a gift! It is merely a misconception of the wizarding public that it is a sign of a dark wizard and they are most assuredly mistaken! You are no more a dark wizard Potter than Minerva or the headmaster is! Do not force me to give you lines to get the message through that thick skull of yours." Snape glared at the boy just to make sure he got the message. The boy already had self esteem and image issues, no need to go letting him get ridicules ideas about being the same as his parents murderer. "However, because of these fears it would not be unwise to practice prudence when revealing this gift to others. Keep it to yourself. Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yes sir. I wont tell anyone sir and I'll try not to accidentally speak to any snakes sir."

"It is fine for you to speak to snakes if you wish to Potter. There is no reason for you not to use a gift if you have it. I would advice making sure you are alone beforehand though."

"Y-Yes sir. I-I'll be careful sir. Promise sir."

Severus felt himself relaxing. This is not what he had been expecting when he asked Harry about his owl but at least the boy understood the importance of secrecy. Now that the initial panic and remembered terror had passed the Potions Master found himself to be curious. He had yet to even get the boy to prove his talent though considering how terrified the boy was of lying to adults about anything but his families treatment of him Severus did not doubt it to be true.

However it did present him with a unique opportunity. It always cost him a small fortunes to buy some of the venom needed for classes, not to mention the dangerous and rare venoms needed for his own experimentation. Many times the Potions Master had speculated that it would simply be cheaper to buy the snakes and get a milking licence than the venom from the apothecaries. Now that he had someone who could tell the snakes what was expected of them and not to attack him when it came to milking it would be remise of him to pass it up.

"Potter, seeing as the potion is now ruined," Harry glanced to the cauldron and felt shame burn his checks when he saw the unfortunate mess as the bottom. Was the professor going to punish him? "We will be doing something else to fill in the time before curfew. I will be conjuring a snake and I want you to converse with it as you would normally."

"Umm, okay sir." Harry nervously bit his bottom lip. Wasn't the professor just saying how speaking parseltongue was bad, why would he want to hear it now?

"_Serpensortia_" Harry jumped from his stool in surprise when a thin black serpent slipped from his professors wand onto the dungeon tiles. Almost immediately it started hissing. Harry took the expectant look on the dour mans face as permission to start hissing back.

"_Why have I been brought here? This horrible cold place! I will bite whoever brought me here! They will know pain! Blasted cold!"_ After that it was a series of angry hissings. Harry blushed slightly when he recognised the sounds as some inventive cussing though none of the words translated well into English.

"_Er, hi"_ the snakes head snapped round to face him and Harry resisted the urge to flinch back. The snake wasn't large and only rose to about half way to his knees but that didn't mean Harry wanted it to bite him.

"_You! You speak! But you are not snake! Why am I here!? Did you bring me here? It is cold on this floor. I detest cold!"_

"_Err sorry. Here you can get on me and I'll warm you up but only if you don't bite me."_ The snake considered him for a moment but evidently the anger from being conjured onto the cold stone tiles couldn't win out against the prospect of being warm.

"_Fine I shall not bite you"_ and without further delay the snake moved forward, quickly crossing the distance between himself and Harry. The boy held still as the small snake wound its way under his robes, up his leg and onto his back to emerge once again at his shoulder. While this was going on Harry also noticed the Potions Master stand in surprise and alarm. It caused a funny warm feeling to surge through his small frame to realise the man was worried about him.

"_My name is Harry, what's yours?"_

"_I have no name. my existence began from a moment ago when I was brought to this place. Why am I here?!"_

"_My Head of House wanted to see me speak to you"_ replied Harry, gesturing to the professor. He was pleased to note that the longer the snake stayed talking to him after it was conjured the less angry it seemed to be.

"_Is that all?"_

"_yes"_ Harry might have continued to converse with the conjured and bad tempered snake had Snape not decided he had seen enough. He had stood in alarm when it seemed the snake was going to make a move to bite the boy despite him conversing with it only to see the young Slytherin let the snake use him as a climbing post. Did the boy have no concern for his nerves.

While he was certain that the boy had not been lying about his abilities the first hissing syllable had still caused a shiver of fear to race up his spine. To many memories of a much cruller parseltongue and a giant hideous snake coming to mind. The dark lord conversing with his familiar was not something one could forget quickly.

However even as he listened to the boy his analytical mind picked up differences in the speech. Where as the dark lord had almost spat out the words, his hisses cutting through the air as sharp venomous sounds the boys were softer, sliding gently from his tongue to slip through the air. While still strange to his ears it was not an altogether unpleasant sound and soon the unwanted memories slipped to the back of his mind once again as he set his occoulmancy to work.

"That is more than enough Potter, you have proven beyond all doubt that you are indeed a parseltongue. As I said it would be wise of you to be cautious when using this ability to prevent it from being known to the public. However, I may have use for it on occasion in the future. If I require its use I will inform you. Now it is getting late so it would be best for you to return to your dorm."

Finished with his speech Snape waved his wand and with a small finite the snake resting on Harry shoulder disappeared. The boy looked alarmed at his now empty shoulder and green eyes flashed back to the professor in horror and betrayal. The Potions Master raised an eyebrow at this sudden show of emotion before realising the problem. As far as the boy knew he had just killed his new friend. Silently he berated himself for not considering this reaction sooner, he only hoped he could rectify it quickly before Harry lost all trust in him once again.

"Do not look at me like that boy, the snake was conjured and so would have faded soon enough, I merely caused the spell to end prematurely. Conjuration is merely the transfiguration of air particles and even as a first year McGonagall must have imparted to you how no transfiguration can be permanent."

"Yes, sir. The second rule of transfiguration, all changes to an object caused by magic will cease to be when the magic imparted into creating the changes diminishes to below the level of inherent magic in the object."

"Well done, text book explanation. Do try to continue to show this level of competence in your classes. I do not wish to have to tell you again how I will take slacking off in classes."

Harry ducked his head, ashamed that the professor could think he would have forgotten, embarrassed with the unexpected praise from the dour man and slight fear of the alluded punishment should he fail his Head of House.

"No sir"

"Good, now to bed. Dismissed Potter." Snape was pleased to note that this time the boy showed only the slightest of hesitations before moving past him and out the door. His shoulders had still been hunched in preparation for a blow but it was a sure sign that he was slowly getting through the bundle of fears and anxieties to the boy trapped within…that still didn't mean he thought he was the right person for the job no matter what Poppy and Minerva thought but maybe he would not completely fail the boy. Only time would tell.


End file.
